People with Scars
by alifetimeoflosers
Summary: Rick and the group run into a feral stranger who helps them when they need it most. Eventual Daryl/OC Romance, with a point of difference.
1. Chapter 1

Daryl crouched in the brush with his eyes set firmly on his prey; a hare, about 20 feet away from him. He stayed as silent as possible. Since the group had been on the road, his hunting skills were valued more than ever.

He raised his crossbow, but just before he pulled the trigger, a hand grabbed him on the shoulder. He turned and fired his crossbow, expecting to see a walker. He saw instead a young girl. In his surprise, his aim had not been good and the arrow had pierced only the side of her thigh. The girl had fallen to the ground and was clutching her leg, with an angry and pained look on her face.

Daryl opened his mouth to speak, but the girl raised her finger to her mouth to silence him. She pointed to her far left. After a few seconds Daryl saw what she was pointing at; a mother bear and two cubs. They were a couple hundred feet away, and moving further from them, but she would turn and attack if she noticed the two people. Since civilization had diminished, the wildlife had been moving closer and closer to the roads and towns, and Daryl knew this. It was the kind of thing he would normally notice straight away, if he hadn't been so intent on finding food for the group. He was a little pissed that he hadn't noticed.

Daryl stared at the girl who had warned him. He squinted at her. She looked to be in her mid-twenties, but age has become harder to distinguish since everyone is usually covered in a layer of blood and grime. The girl had dirty blonde hair that must have originally been in some form of braid, though most of it had now fallen in front of her face. She almost had blue eyes, but they were dark. A smattering of freckles covered her nose and cheeks. Daryl was confused by her, she didn't fit. She looked as though she should be walking barefoot down the beach wearing a daisy chain, not lying in the dirt pulling an arrow out of her leg and swearing quietly. And wearing combat boots.

He silently looked at where the arrow had hit. He could see the other end sticking out the back of her leg. It had missed the bone, and all important arteries, it seemed. Not life-threatening, Daryl concluded. But certainly inconvenient. To say the least. The bear had moved out of sight, so the girl reached into her backpack and pulled out a piece of cloth. She put this between her teeth, and without warning, yanked the arrow out. Dark blood began to flow from the entry wound immediately. She grimaced. The girl looked at Daryl and waved his arrow at him. "I'm gonna keep this." She said, and put it in her backpack. Daryl said nothing. She pulled out a small kind of blowtorch and put the cloth back in her mouth. She cut the hole in her already ripped jeans wider, and began to cauterize the wound. "That really necessary?" Daryl asked. She ignored him and focused on the job at hand. When she was done, the blood was crystallized and the wound was weeping only a clear fluid. She tied the cloth from her mouth tightly around it. "Can't be bleeding out here" She belatedly replied.

"You spyin' on me?" Daryl accused. The girl snorted. "I'm doing the same thing as you. Though I'm clearly doing a better job." She retorted, pulling two rabbits from her backpack to show him. Daryl grunted. "What's your name then?" He asked the girl. She didn't answer. She began to zip up her bag to make her way to her feet, and Daryl took a step towards her, intending to help her up. He saw her whole demeanor change. She pulled a pistol out and pointed it at Daryl. Her eyes were wide. "Back up!" She said. "Don't come anywhere near me." Daryl held his hands up to show he meant know harm. She started scrabbling backwards to get away from him, and she tried to stand. As she put weight on her newly shot and burnt leg, her vision blackened, and Daryl watched the girl tumble back to the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

The girl awoke to muffled voices. None of which she recognised. She felt the solid tar under her and knew she was back on the road. The searing pain in her thigh helped her piece together what had happened. She sat bolt upright, and reached for her pistol, planning to point it whoever was nearest. It had been taken from her while she was unconscious. As had the large knife she kept down her boot.

"Rick!" someone shouted. "She's awake." The girl looked at the voices' owner. A young asian man. She looked around and saw perhaps a dozen other people. And cars. She was surrounded.

Another man walked over and crouched infront of the girl, but refrained from coming too close. He had a rough beard and curly brown hair. A revolver was clearly visible in his holster. He was in charge. "Hi. I'm Rick. The man you just helped, Daryl? He's from our group." The girl did not reply. "We will give your weapons back as soon as we know you aren't a threat." The girl said nothing. "What's your name?" Asked Rick. Silence.

The girl felt very uneasy being near this many people. Especially men. Her skin crawled to think she had been unconscious around them, and the feeling intensified as she instantly realised the man that shot her must have carried her here. She was angry at herself for passing out. She had been through a lot worse than this, she thought. And she had never passed out before. She remembered that she hadn't actually eaten for two days. Stupid, she thought. She made a mental note to never save someones life again, especially on an empty stomach.

"Please just leave me alone." She muttered. "We aren't going to hurt you." The man called Rick said. An older man stepped forward, with white hair and am unkempt white beard. "I can take a look at your leg if you'd like." Said Hershel. The girl would not like. She wanted out.

"Guys, give her some space." A womans voice, with a strong rural accent. A pretty brunette stepped forward and introduced herself to the girl. "My name is Maggie. We just want to help you." The girl looked up but said nothing. "You saved our man Daryl. Why?" The girl shrugged. She gestured vaguely around her and mumbled: "This is **my** forest. I didn't want him screaming and attracting any unwanted visitors." Maggie smiled at the girl, pleased she had been able to get a sentence out of her. "Want to tell me your name?" She asked. The girl was silent for a minute, clearly contemplating the possible outcome of revealing her name. "Steph." She said. "Stephanie." She continued. She realised this was the first time she had spoken her own name for many months. This was the first time she had spoken to another person for many months. It felt strange in her mouth. "Well, Steph. Thank you for helping Daryl out. You staying around here?" Steph was not going to answer that. She did not want these people knowing any more about her.

Rick stepped forward once more. "Please." He said "Please, we need a place to stay. My wife..." He trailed off. Steph noticed a woman in one of the cars. She was the only one who hadn't got out to stare at Steph. Steph couldn't see more than her face, but she looked thin, and pale. "You must be staying around here" Rick went on. "We wouldn't be any trouble." Steph looked at the man she had warned of the bear. Daryl. He was leaning on a car in the back, the furtherest away. He had messy hair partially covering his eyes, and was wearing a leather vest. He was holding the crossbow he had been hunting with by his side. He had nothing to say, it seemed.

"That's not going to happen." Said Steph. "Please." Rick repeated, desperation in his voice. He stepped closer to Steph. Too close. Steph leapt to her feet, surprising Rick. She grabbed the person to her right. A young girl, probably a teenager, with white-blonde hair and clear blue eyes. She had not spoken to Steph. Steph pulled out the pocket knife she kept under the strap of her bra, and before anyone could react, held it to Beths neck. "I'm sorry." She said quietly to Beth. Almost every person that was surrounding Steph pulled a weapon out, and pointed them all directly at Steph. "Stop!" This came from Maggie. "Please don't hurt her." She said. "Just put the knife down. Nobody will come near you, I promise." From Rick.

"I'm sorry." Steph said to Beth once more, Before pulling her backwards towards a motorbike near the edge of the road. She got on the bike and started it, before letting Beth go and speeding off. Away from the group, who was left dumbfounded.


	3. Chapter 3

"We aint even gonna go after her?" Daryl asked Rick. "We can't afford to go backwards. We haven't got the time, or gas." Rick replied. "Besides, she clearly knows how to ride, and she knows the area well. We may not even find her. I'm sorry, Daryl." It had been Daryl's motorbike the girl had stolen. He was even more sullen than usual, thinking about the cars full of people that he would have to share. Maggie and Hershel were comforting Beth, The rest of the group had made their way back into the vehicles, as Rick had told them it was time to move on. He went over to check on his wife Lori. "What was that?" She asked him. "I don't know." Rick replied. "She saved Daryl from being mauled by a bear, and then she pulled a knife on Beth. I don't know about her."

_._._._._._._._._._

The group had moved on and found an abandoned house in the bush. Rick, Daryl, T-dog and Carl had cleared it of walkers. It was run down, but they needed a place to rest. They began searching for food. It was grim. Carl found a can of dog meat, but Rick threw it away in disgust. Nobody spoke. They didn't want to eat dog meat, but they all found themselves considering it at that moment.

Daryl had shot a barn owl roosting in the upstairs bedroom, and they ate it, but it wasn't enough, shared between 10 people. Glenn, Rick and Daryl gave their shares to Lori, who was almost 9 months pregnant. They all slept in one room, and Rick took the first watch. After 3 hours, he awoke Daryl for his turn. He apologized, but they both knew that Rick needed to rest. "Gonna take my watch outside." Said Daryl. Rick just nodded. It was cold outside, but near the end of winter. Daryl left the corner in which he had slept. He grabbed his crossbow and headed for the front door, to sit out on the porch. He opened the door, and looked directly into the wild eyes of the girl they had met earlier.

She had been leaving something on the porch. She pulled a gun on him - a large shotgun she had slung over her shoulder, since her pistol was still with Rick. Daryl raised his bow on her. Neither of them said anything, and Steph backed slowly away, with a consderate limp, until she was hidden in the trees.

Daryl walked to the spot she had last been visible, but she had disappeared. He returned to the porch to find out what she had been doing there. She had left a white plastic sack in front of the door, the kind used to store grain. Daryl opened it, and in the dim moonlight discovered 2 skinned rabbits, probably the two she had snared earlier that day. Along with a few potatoes, carrots, 4 eggs in an old carton, a whole cabbage and a can of peaches.

"Rick." Said Daryl, and tapped him with his foot. Rick sat up immediately. "What is it?" He asked, panicking. "Walkers?" Daryl put the bag in front of Rick and said "Visitor."

They decided to wake the rest of the group. They all stared at the food like they didn't believe it was real. Rick wasn't sure they should eat it. But he decided the girl would have no reason to poison the group - perhaps she just felt bad about what she had done to Beth.

After their meal they all felt a lot better than they had for a long time. Those that could fall back to sleep did, and the others talked quietly amongst themselves. This food had been a godsend, but it wouldn't last long. "We need a permanent place to live." Rick said. "This girl clearly has a good set up. She must have chickens. And a garden." "She don't wanna be found." Daryl muttered. "So do we even bother looking?" Glenn piped up. Rick paused. "I... I don't know what else to do." He looked defeated. He was meant to protect these people. His wife and son, his unborn child. They had been on the run for 8 months, ever since the Greenes farm had been overrun with walkers. They couldn't last out here much longer.

When the sun came up, Carl looked out one of the back windows to where the cars were parked, and called to his father. "Dad?" Rick came running. "Carl? What is it?" Carl pointed outside. To Daryls motorbike.

Daryl turned the key, and the gas meter flicked over to the right. She had filled it up. This girl was confusing the hell out of them all. "She must have walked back to wherever she lives." Maggie concluded. "Which means she is closer than we thought." Agreed Rick.

They didn't have time to make a decision because at that moment, a faint snarling and gurgling made only by the walking dead was heard. "Psst." T-dog notioned with his head. A small herd, but far too many for the group to take on, especially in the condition they were in. The rest of the group filed out of the abandoned house and headed for the vehicles.


	4. Chapter 4

The group stopped on a highway and Beth and Carl kept watch whilst the rest of the group discuss where they are headed. They'd had to desert the idea of finding Steph; the mystery girl who helped them, then threatened them, and then helped them once more, as the road back the way the came would be crawling with walkers, like most of the others. Rick opens a map and shows the others how they have been moving in circles, trying to escape the herd that had over-run the Greene farmstead. Rick looks worriedly at Lori and tells the group "We need to find somewhere to hole up for a few days." Hershel pulls him aside. "She can't take much more of this moving around." Rick knew this, of course. T-Dog suggests he go and get some water from the creek, and Daryl invites Rick go hunting.

They return a few hours later, empty-handed but with obvious excitement on their faces.

"We found a place."

_._._._._._._._._._._._._

Steph made it home, after several longs hours of walking in the dark. She was exhausted, and in immense pain from the hole in her thigh, but she didn't regret returning the bike with a bag of food. She had felt guilty about what she had done to the girl, Beth. Steph knew better than most how it felt to be held captive, and she wished it hadn't come to that.

But that wasn't the only reason she had helped them. There was something about them that intrigued her. There was love between them, it was clear to see – they were a family. There was women, and older children. The woman in the car was pregnant, Steph had seen as she was holding Beth. They had given her a feeling she hadn't felt for years. She took a long time to remember the name of the feeling. Hope.

She wanted them to survive, to succeed. But she couldn't give them a place to stay. She didn't know them. And while they seemed different from the other groups she had encountered, she couldn't be sure they wouldn't hurt her. She had been too trusting in the past.

Steph fed her dog, who had come with her to return the bike. He came with her on most of the runs she made. His name was Bandit. He was a large terrier of some sort, mixed with a few other breeds. Almost completely white, but with a patch of black covering one eye and ear, and continuing slightly down over his shoulder and chest. Steph had had him for a long time. He was her best friend and right hand man. He kept her sane.

She had something to eat herself. She had a good supply of food, living on her own. Both canned and fresh. She had a garden that had thrived so far, three laying hens and she even had a small generator that was used only to keep her freezer running, which was almost half full of meat. She still checked her snares and hunted everyday. She rationed strictly – she knew her food supply wouldn't last forever.

After cleaning and dressing the fresh wound on her leg, She then re-stocked her backpack. She always had it ready in case she needed to leave in a hurry. She carried with her a rope, a small blanket and tarpaulin, some spare clothes, several knives for several different uses, Various medicines, A camouflage coloured shotgun, a crowbar, which she hung through one of the belt loops on her jeans, A few days worth of food and water for both herself and Bandit, and a box of matches. She was still missing her pistol and her best knife. Her bag was heavy, but she liked to be prepared in case she couldn't get back home after a run. It kept her fit, she reasoned.

The house itself was a farm house, one story, three bedrooms. Steph had lived here for many years, long before the dead started walking. The entire property was fenced well, as it had often had cattle in the fields nearby. It was well hidden by trees, and so far nobody had found her. It was the kind of place where you could pretend nothing had ever happened. She knew she was extremely lucky to have a place like it, especially after seeing the state of Rick and the others who had been living on the run.

Steph lay down to get some rest. She always slept fully clothed, even her boots stayed on. She was constantly ready to run. She was dirty, covered with sweat and old blood from the walkers she had to kill during the night. She had dirt under all her fingernails and there were enough twigs in her hair to start a fire. But she didn't care. She stopped caring long ago. It was normality for her. Bandit hopped onto the bed beside her. "You take the first watch." She told him. Bandit sighed heavily and put his chin on her arm. He started snoring quietly, and Steph fell asleep not long after, knowing that he would wake her at the slightest disturbance.

Bandit woke her no more than half an hour later. Steph immediately heard voices outside, Male voices. She wondered if the group she had fed had searched for her, and found her. She kept low as she made her way through the house to her backpack, and was thankful she had restocked it before sleeping. She looked carefully out the window, and saw 6 men making their way towards the house, talking loudly. They each had a different make of assault rifle strapped around their shoulders. They were not familiar. Steph and Bandit left the house via the back door, and Steph crawled away in the long grass until she was obscured by the trees. She had to leave her pickup truck behind.

She watched as the men entered the house, and as they began searching through the cupboards, she knew she had lost her home. They would surely make camp here. With the ample food and shelter, it was a goldmine. Steph did not wait around to see where they would search next. She and Bandit moved further into the forest, disheartened, and not knowing where to go.


	5. Chapter 5

Rick and the others had waited several days before attempting to take over the prison. The surveyed the outer fence, and decided where they would enter. They figured out the most critical areas, and made a plan. They entered the yard after cutting a hole in the outer fence which they then wired closed, and then Rick made a run for the gate leading to the interior of the prison to close it, while the others opened fire on the walkers out in the yard. When the last walker dropped, they felt secure for the first time in months "We haven't had this much space since we left the farm!" Carol exclaimed happily.

They had been living solely in the yard for almost a week now. Rick had wanted to move further into the prison straight away, hoping to find some food and medicine, and maybe even an armoury. But Lori had convinced him to wait, saying "This was a big win for us, but we're exhausted." After a good week of resting, hunting, and throwing around ideas for crops, Rick decided they would spend one more day regaining some energy, they would move inside the prison tomorrow.

They spent the day resting, and making plans. They were enjoying the spring weather. They occasionally cleared the fences of walkers, but the growling and teeth nashing was constant.

With everybody out in the yard, the white pick-up truck creeping up to the gate was noticed immediately.

_._._._._._._._._._._._._

Steph had no options left. Her food had ran out. She had barely slept since she had to leave the house. She had come across the prison a few days earlier, and watched as the group lived safely inside. She saw them sitting around the fire, while Beth and Maggie sung. She didn't want to ask for help, she didn't want to be trapped inside with so many strangers. But she couldn't continue any longer.

She had found the pick-up 3 days before. She knew that most people who lived this far from town would leave their keys in their cars, and so she went looking. She had stayed in it every night, but hated the feeling of being trapped inside a steel coffin. And now she was out of gas.

Steph stopped the truck 20 feet away from the gate. She got out, slowly, and raised her hands high in the air. She took a few small steps towards the prison, trying to look as non-threatening as possible. Bandit hopped out behind her. She lay her shotgun on the ground, but kept her crowbar. There were a few walkers surrounding the fences, and as they turned their attention to Steph, she was forced to kill some. She wished the asian guy standing at the gate would make a decision already. She smashed the clawed end of the crowbar into the top of anothers skull.

"What do you want me to do?" Glenn asked Rick. Rick looked at Daryl, who nodded. "Let her in."

_._._._._._._._._._._._._

Glenn opened the gate for her and Bandit, but wouldn't let her move any further inside the prison. Rick ran out and retrieved her gun. "What are you doing here?" He asked on his return. Steph looked at the ground. She was noticibly worse for wear compared to their last encounter. "I'm sorry." She said. "I had nowhere else to go. I lost my home." Bandit sat patiently at her side. "I just need a nights rest, then I will be on my way."

"How did you find us?" Rick asked. "I checked out this prison months ago. It's where I would have come if I had enough people to clear it out. Safe." Steph replied, looking at the sturdy fences. "I figured if you had come by it, you would have thought the same thing."

Rick said nothing, and pulled the others aside. Carl and Beth were still making their way over from the far end of the yard. They had spent a lot of time together since they moved into the prison. "What do we think?" Rick asked. "She held a knife to Beths throat! She's unpredictable." Carol said. "She helped Daryl, she gave us food. She's just a young girl. Are we just going to throw her back out on the road? You know thats a one-way ticket." T-dog always wanted to do the right thing, if possible. When it all began, he had driven the church van to every elderly person he knew, to see if they needed help evacuating. Rick looked at Lori. "Just... do what you think is best." She said, knowing her opinion wasn't held very highly to Rick at the moment.

In the end, it was Carl who convinced them. He had walked straight up to Steph when everyone was talking. "You have a dog?!" He had asked. "Thats so cool!" Beth stood back warily. "Carl." She said. "Come away from her." Bandit loved kids. Always had. He licked Carl as the boy bent down to pat him.

"Lookie here." Said Daryl, and nodded towards the boy and the dog. Carl was down on the ground at this stage, rolling around while Bandit attacked him with his tongue. The adults stood and watched. It had been so long since Carl had acted like a kid - he'd had to grow up so quickly. Lori and Rick both had huge smiles on their faces, enjoying the moment. They almost forgot about the solemn girl standing awkwardly behind them.


	6. Chapter 6

The group had decided to let Steph stay one night. "You can be on your way in the morning." Rick had told her. She said nothing. "You'll stay up in the guard tower, and we'll be down here. We'll be keeping your weapons." That was fine with Steph. She would never sleep surrounded by people. She put her stuff up in the tower and managed to convince Bandit that it would do. Maggie and Glenn brought her pick-up inside the fence and parked it with the others.

"One night?" Daryl asked Rick later. "She don't seem like a threat to me." "We worked so hard to get this place, and I don't want to lose it because of some girl. What if she's lying, telling us she's on her own? She's a stranger, we don't know what her intentions are."

Rick and Daryl watched the girl, like most of the group had done since she arrived. She was showing Carl how certain whistles will send Bandit in different directions. He was a cattle dog. Carl was trying hard to whistle just right, to send Bandit around the yard, but Bandit was sitting and staring at Carl like he was an idiot. He cocked his head. At that, Steph burst out laughing. She stopped almost instantly, and held her fingers up to her mouth, like it was the first time she had ever laughed.

_._._._._._._._._._._

Later on, Maggie brought over some food for Steph. She had been sitting at the base of the guard tower, keeping some distance from the group. Bandit was sitting happily with them though, lolling around on Carls lap. Traitor, she thought. But she was happy he had someone to play with. He hadn't seen any other people for months. She wasn't much company these days. "You okay?" Maggie asked. "Better. Tired." Steph answered. "I'm sorry about what I did to your sister." Carl had told her about Beth being Maggies younger sister, and Hershels daughter. "I'm truly so sorry. I just... I needed to get away. I don't, I can't..." She didn't finish. "I know." Maggie replied, handing her a bowl with a small piece of game in it. "I saw the fear on your face. But we aren't like that, we're good people." "How did you all come to be together?" Steph asked. She had never really thought about trying to join up with others. Seemed like a bigger risk than anything.

"Rick, Carl and Lori are family. They're from a group that was staying near Atlanta. Carol, T-Dog, Glenn, and Daryl were with them. They were driven away from the city by walkers, and ended up on our farm. My brother in law Otis accidentally shot Carl when he was hunting." Steph's eyes widened. "Dad saved him. They stayed with us for a while, they were looking for Carols daughter, Sophia." Maggie was silent for a moment, remembering how they had found her. "One night, a herd - the biggest we ever saw ended up on our property, and we were forced to leave. We lost a lot of people." Steph knew about losing people. "I'm sorry." She told Maggie. Maggie forced a smile."What about you?" She asked. "You been on your own this whole time?"

"Uh, yep." Steph answered. She didn't elaborate, and Maggie didn't push the matter. She stood up, and said "You know, you're welcome to come sit with us." "Thanks, but I'm fine. I'm just grateful you let me in at all." Steph replied. Maggie smiled again. The sight made Steph feel good. "Rick only wants to protect his family. He might change his mind." She was talking about letting Steph stay with them for good. A possibility which both frightened and enticed Steph.

Steph whistled Bandit over, and gave a small wave to the group. Maggie, Glenn, Lori and Carl waved back. The rest just stared. She climbed the stairs up the tower and sat on her tarp. She took inventory of everything in her pack, cleaned her knives and crowbar, and pulled her hair back into two braids. She re-laced her boots. She pulled her blanket over her and Bandit slept beside her. She almost felt safe.

_._._._._._._._._._._._

The next morning, Rick and the others were making plans for the big day ahead – clearing out part of the interior yard, and hopefully entering the building. Steph woke later than usual, after a few hours of patchy sleep, and felt like a new person. Bandit was waiting to get outside. They exited the tower and made their way over to the group. She heard them talking. After a minute to think, she walked up to Rick and said quietly "I'll help." Everyone was silent. "One night, that was the deal." Rick answered. "I know the deal. I just want to repay you. I'll leave after." Said Steph. Rick asked her for a minutes privacy, so Steph moved away.

"We could use the help." Said Rick. "Why would she want to help us, knowing she won't get anything out of it? Seems strange to me." Glenn wondered. "And would you feel right throwing her out the gate after she risks her life for us?" Maggie chimed in, but Rick held his hand up and replied. "It's her call. I'm not going to turn down help thats being offered, especially if it might save one of our own."

Rick called Steph over and told her she could help. He gave her the knife that he had been keeping of hers, but held on to her pistol. "It's hand to hand only." He told her. "Stay in formation." She walked ahead with Maggie and the others, but Rick and Daryl held back. "Keep an eye on her." He said to Daryl. "Any funny business, anything that puts us at risk, don't hesitate." He looked Daryl in the eye, confirming what he meant.


	7. Chapter 7

"Ready?" Hershel asked. Rick nodded, and opened the gate. T-dog entered first, killing a walker by shoving his fire poker through its head. Daryl put a knife through anothers'. They moved in a circle, Maggie, Glenn, T-dog, Rick, Daryl, and Steph. Each killing the walkers nearest. Steph used her crowbar. She was quick, only needing one good hit to take one down. She still walked with a slight limp, but it didn't hold her back.

The rest of the group stood at the fence, shaking and banging on it while shouting at the walkers, trying to attract them away from their friends inside. They used long metal poles and tire irons to kill them through the chain-link fence. Steph whistled to Bandit and he barked loudly outside the fence, doing his part to draw them away.

Maggie killed a walker with her machete. Another was taken down by Daryl. Glenn used a sharpened pipe to kill a walker on the ground. Steph crushed a skull with her crowbar. They moved methodically, and it worked well. They were all covered in blood, and sweating. T-Dog left the circle. "Don't break rank!" Rick yelled. "We need that!" T-dog yelled in reply, grabbing a plastic riot shield. Steph covered his back. Maggie ran over to knife a walker, and quickly returned to the circle. Steph broke the circle again, and ran ahead, furiously killing three walkers on her own. Rick and Daryl looked at each other.

She stopped ahead and waited for the others. "Stay in formation." Rick hissed at her. He looked around the corner, to see another segment of the yard crawling with walkers. He turned back and ushered the group behind him, warning them to stay quiet. At that moment, four dead guards wearing riot gear rounded the corner. Daryls arrows were useless against their helmets. Maggie soon figured out to stab them upwards through their chin, and the others followed suit, Steph throwing her crowbar aside and using the knife Rick had returned. Rick closed the gate leading to the back yard, with help from Daryl. It was done. They had cleared the front section of the courtyard, and closed the gate leading to the rest.

The ground was littered with walkers wearing blue prison overalls, and the occasional guard. All had their heads split open. The group stopped for a quick discussion. Rick decided they should continue inside the building, saying they couldn't risk a blind spot.

They made their way through the dark and dingy corridors, in the same formation as before. They found their way to a cell block, and Rick took the keys off the dead guard up the stairs. Most of the cells had a dead body inside, and two of the upstairs cells had walkers in them, which Daryl killed and threw off the balcony. Steph was double checking the bodies in the other cells, making sure they wouldn't rise again. They didn't. She cleaned her knife on her jeans and wiped the sweat off her forehead, leaving a smear of blood in its place.

_._._._._._._._._

The others who had stayed outside came into the cell block, carrying blankets and clothes. Bandit followed behind. He sat beside Steph who was standing in the background, listening as everyone talked. She could see tension between Rick and Lori. She watched as Lori thanked Rick and Rick walked away without a word.

Beth and Hershel shared a cell, as did Glenn and Maggie and Carol and Lori. Daryl set himself up on the perch. Rick returned, and Steph knew it was time for her to leave. Everyone was exhausted. "I'll get going." She told Rick. "Look, why don't you stay out in the guard tower again tonight. It's too late to go back out. You were a good help today. Thank you." Rick replied, rubbing his temples. Steph accepted, the thought of sleeping in the truck, or searching for shelter for the night made her feel broken down. "Thanks." Steph replied.

_._._._._._._._._

"You wont even consider letting her stay? Even after what she did for us yesterday?" Maggie asked Rick the next morning. They had woken early after a good nights rest in the cells. Rick was about to take out a small ration of food to Steph, before sending her on her way. "It's a risk I'm not willing to take. She's unpredictable. Which is a trait that puts peoples lives at risk these days." Maggie began to speak again but was cut off by Rick. "My decision is final. She's had two nights rest. That's more than she asked." He left Maggie standing in the door of the cell block.

Daryl came up behind her. "He sending her off?" He asked. "Yeah." Maggie confirmed thoughtfully, turning to look at Daryl. "I don't feel right about it. She's younger than me, for christs' sake. He wants her to go it alone?" "Seems to be doing just fine on her own so far." Daryl replied. "She helped us. More than once! She's an asset, and I get the feeling she wont last much longer out there alone." "I'll talk to Rick." Daryl told Maggie, and stepped past her to exit the block.

Rick was walking back through the corridor when he met up with Daryl. He was still carrying the box of food. Daryl greeted him and began to plead Stephs case to him, repeating how he didn't think she was a threat. "Hell, she's as strong as any of us, why not let her stay and have an extra pair of hands?" "It doesn't matter now." Rick replied. "She's already gone."


	8. Chapter 8

"They're gone?" Carl asked, after hearing the news. "Why?! You made her leave didn't you?" He accused Rick. Rick told Carl how she had left before they were even awake. Carl was angry. He'd adored Bandit, and liked Steph too. He stormed off, giving his father the silent treatment.

Rick had other things to worry about. Today, they were aiming to find the cafeteria in the hopes that some of the food supplies were still intact.

"It's a damn shame." Rick overheard Daryl telling Carol. "That girl had more balls than most men. Could've used someone like that, especially today." "Maybe it's for the best." Carol replied. "She's been alone this whole time, who knows how she would handle living with a group." Daryl shrugged.

Rick walked past and waved Daryl over to start preparing for the certain onslaught that would occur on their way to the cafeteria.

_._._._._._._._._._

Steph had found a place. Must have been a hunting hut, or maybe hikers used it for overnight trips. Surrounded by pines. It had bunk beds against 3 of the walls, and a bench against the fourth. Outside there was an old water faucet, and when Steph pumped the handle, she found that was in a usable condition, and there was an outhouse that was also in good shape. On the inside wall of the cabin there was a yellowing notebook where guests would sign their name after staying in the hut. Inside the front page, There was a small notice warning of a prison within 10 miles, and that any suspicious behavior should be reported, and any hitch-hikers in the area should be treated as possible escapees – do not pick them up.

The hut was small, and drafty, and there was cockroaches and mice, but it was secure, and hidden. She didn't like the fact that there was only one door, it would make escaping harder if it came to that. But it couldn't be helped, and Steph was no stranger to climbing out windows. It had been 5 days since Steph had left the prison. She'd found the hut 3 days ago, and had got several hours of sleep every night since. Not as good as the guard tower inside the prison, and certainly not as good as the house she had lived in for the past 5 years, but a whole lot better than sleeping rough.

She caught at least one rabbit per day. The rabbit population had swelled considerably, since there was no people around to hunt them and trap them and hit them with their cars. Steph wondered if walkers ate rabbits. _Probably too_ _quick for them_ , she thought. Walkers were scarce, and Steph was quiet in everything she did, hoping to keep it that way. She hadn't had to use her gun yet.

She wondered how the group was doing inside the prison. She figured they would be doing fine inside the many strong walls and fences. They were tough bunch, Steph thought to herself. She wondered what they had been like before the outbreak. She wondered if Lori had had her baby yet, and if it was a boy or a girl. She wondered if they had found the cafeteria, or the infirmary like they had planned. She wondered if Hershel had noticed that Carl had a crush on his daughter. She wondered if any of them wondered about her.

She knew she was better off on her own. No people sneaking up on her. She hated walkers with a passion, but at least they were straight up. They wanted to eat you, and they made it obvious. People, Steph wasn't so sure about. They could hide their motives, change their minds. She was never very good at people, and she never really liked them either. Even before they started trying to kill her and rob her. And eat her. She didn't know how to communicate properly. Never had. And the group seemed overly apprehensive after their time on the road. They could be dangerous, despite Stephs first impression. Yup, She was better off alone. Wasn't she?

They didn't want her there anyway, she reminded herself. Even after trying to help them on multiple occasions. She saw the stares, Rick didn't trust her, and neither did Carol. Beth probably hated her guts, and Daryl seemed ambivalent at best. But Carl liked her didn't he? Or maybe that was just her four legged companion. What about Maggie? _Ugh_. This is why Steph didn't like people. They made her feel, in a way she simply could not comprehend. She wanted to forget all about them.

She left Bandit sleeping on one of the bottom bunk beds, and made a small fire outside. She put it out every time she finished cooking, and started it again at the next meal, to avoid drawing attention. She rested a metal rack on the rocks of the fire pit, and while the flame was building, skinned the rabbit of the day. It was a goodie. She was starting to get good at skinning, keeping all the meat on the bones. She couldn't remember the last time she'd accidentally eaten a clump of fur, either.

After her meal, she fed Bandit. Bandit always ate well, possibly even better than before, since dog food was so easy to scavenge. She organised her backpack. She cleaned her knives, crowbar and checked her gun. She braided her hair. She laced her boots up tight. And then she slept.

_._._._._._._._._._

The next morning, she repeated this. Bag. Knives. Gun. Hair. Boots. Always ready. She left the hut, taking Bandit with her. She had a drink from the water pump and washed her face, before making her way out into to the bush to check her snares. There was a walker stumbling around near one of them. A middle-aged man, by the looks. Part of his scalp had come away and was dangling around by his ear. He turned to Steph and she swung the claw of her crowbar into his temple. It made a wet cracking sound and the walker fell backwards from the force. He didn't get back up.

Two rabbits this morning, out of the four snares. She gutted them there, a good distance away from the hut. She strung the rabbits together and put them in her backpack before making her way back to her new home. She had just made it to the hut and began cleaning the knife she had used to gut the rabbits, when the prison siren went off.


	9. Chapter 9

It was a hideous sound. Screeching and wailing. Rising and falling. It had been installed to signal a riot, or an escape, to alert local law enforcement. Steph had heard the siren before, but never from this close. Once, about 3 years ago when there was a severe riot. Stemmed from some racial differences, as usual. Then again, almost a year ago, when the guards had abandoned their posts after the outbreak. It was a sound that seemed designed for one specific purpose: To incite fear. Which is exactly what it did.

Steph figured the group at the prison had turned it on by accident, and that they would turn it off as soon as they could. They didn't. On and on, the shrill, monotonous siren continued. What was going on down there? Steph knew it would attract walking corpses. Even as this thought crossed her mind, she could see one out the window, shambling between trees towards the prison.

She gave it another second. The siren didn't stop. This was not good. She threw on her backpack and shotgun, and left the hut once more. She had parked her truck about a mile away, where the dirt road had slimmed to walking track. She ran. Bandit ran alongside her. They got to the truck and Steph was puffing. There was a dull pain in her leg from the aging arrow wound. She slammed the truck in gear and peeled down the dirt road.

_._._._._._._._._

It took all of 3 minutes for Steph to get to the prison. The siren was still going. She got to the gate and stopped within an inch of it. Took the time to put the handbrake on and turn the engine off, but left her door wide open. There were more than double the walkers surrounding the fences compared to her last visit.

She killed two with her crowbar and then gave up, resorting to her shotgun. It carried five shells, and she used them all quickly, and reloaded another five. There were two men on the other side of the fence, but they were not part of the original group she had met. "Open the gate!" Steph screamed at them. The men looked at each other. Clearly they didn't have that sort of authority. "Open it! Let me in!" She shot another walker, it's entire head bursting from the powerful 12 gauge.

The two men were conflicted. They approached the gate but wouldn't open it. Steph walked over to yell another command at the two cowards. "Stephie?" One of the men questioned. "I don't believe it. You're alive!" Steph stopped dead in her tracks. Walkers were closing in. "Axel...? What are you-" She noticed the prison uniform he was wearing. Of course.

"Axel, open the goddamn gate! My friends are in there!" Friends? She didn't think they fit into that classification, But now was no time to figure out which one they did fit into. Axel finally opened the gate, though the other man seemed unsure. Steph and Bandit sprinted through. The other man closed the gate behind them. Steph was going full speed ahead, she could see Rick, Glenn and Daryl shooting out the speakers in the courtyard, desperately trying to get the siren to stop. "Steph, wait! What happened to..." Steph didn't hear him finish his sentence since the siren was ear-piercingly loud and she was now halfway across the yard. He followed her over, as did the other prisoner.

Rick, Daryl and Glenn came running over, after killing all the walkers in the courtyard. "How the hell can this be happening?" Rick shouted at the two men, holding his gun on them. The taller black man explained how there were three backup generators controlling separate parts of the prison. He said they had been shut off when the prison was overrun, but they must have been started again. Rick was worried about someone opening up the main gates electronically, and when Oscar told him it might be possible, Rick grabbed him. "Come with us!" He shouted, and the pair sprinted inside the prison. Glenn, Daryl, Axel, and Steph followed closely behind. She told Bandit to stay and wait with Beth and Hershel. Hershel seemed to be missing the bottom half of his leg.

They went to the cell block first, looking for Lori and Carl. Maggie had been with them too. The cell block was empty, aside from nine walkers, which Steph, Glenn and Daryl took down while Rick continued looking for his wife and son. From there, they split up to look for the others, and the generators. Daryl went with Rick, as did Oscar. Steph went with Glenn and Axel.

_._._._._._._._._

Steph was in full attack mode. Adrenalin was coursing through her. Her senses felt heightened - it was like she had been put on this earth for one reason: To kill walkers. The three of them made their way through an unfamiliar corridor, putting walkers down all the way through. Steph resorted to her knife, as there wasn't enough room to swing her crowbar, and she didn't want to use her gun unless absolutely necessary.

She stabbed one through the top of the head. The next one through the temple. She put the knife through the eye of another. It felt like they would never stop coming, But then they did. Steph was wild, covered head to toe in blood, and still searching wide-eyed for anything that wasn't Glenn or Axel to kill. They both looked in a similar state, especially Axel who didn't have a lot of experience with walkers. Finally, the siren stopped. The lights stopped flickering. Rick and the others had found the generator.


	10. Chapter 10

Steph, Glenn and Axel made their way back through the decrepit hallways, heading outside. They didn't speak. Steph was still on high alert, as she imangined the other two were also. They turned a corner and came face to face with Rick, Steph almost putting her knife in him before he held his hands up to identify himself. The 6 of them continued towards the exit. They passed T-dogs body, mangled and torn. They stood for a moment, but no-one knew what to say. Daryl picked up a scarf and looked concerndly at Rick, recognizing it as Carols.

They ran out into the bright light of the courtyard, hoping to find the others gathered there. They weren't. Hershel and Beth were still there, and after a quick discussion, Rick told them that they would be going back in to look for the others. He began giving orders, but he was cut off by a cry, that only a baby could make.

They all watched, stunned, as Maggie and Carl came down the stairs, Maggie with a baby in her arms. She was visibly upset. Carl was expressionless. Steph watched Rick drop his axe. He walked over to the newborn, with a look of absolute disbelief. "Where... where is she?" He asked Maggie.

Realization hit Steph at the same time as it hit Rick. Everybody stood out in the yard, fresh dead walker bodies scattered between them, while Rick collapsed and sobbed.

_._._._._._._._._

Maggie and Daryl were going out on Daryls bike to look for supplies for the baby, Hershel had told them that she needed formula a.s.a.p. Rick had gone back inside the prison, alone, wielding nothing but an axe, with his eyes glazed over. Steph asked Maggie what she could do to help. "Help Glenn." Maggie replied in exasperation. She turned to say goodbye to Glenn but stopped herself and looked at Steph. "Don't leave until we get back." She said. Steph nodded in reply. "Promise me." Steph nodded once more. She and Glenn watched the bike leave.

They started digging graves. Bandit sat patiently beside the grave Steph was working on. "I'm glad you came back." Glenn said, stopping to look at Steph. "Thank you." He nodded sincerely. Steph didn't know what to say. Axel and Oscar approached them and informed Glenn they had spread the walkers out, to help ease the pressure against the fence. "Need help?" Axel offered. Glenn said nothing. Axel and Oscar expressed their regret over the loss of Glenns friends. "They were family." Glenn corrected. He gave the shovel to Axel and gestured to Steph to do the same to Oscar. "I need two more." He said, and began walking over to Hershel who was waiting at the fence separating the yard from the courtyard. Steph gave her shovel to Oscar, glanced at Axel, and started behind Glenn. "Steph, wait." Axel said. "Tell me you know what happened to my Annie. Is she alive?" Glenn turned around. "You two know each other?" Glenn asked, surprised. Axel nodded. "Axel is my un..." She paused. "He's my dads brother." Glenn walked back over and pointed at Axel. "He's your uncle?!"

Steph nodded. "I had no idea he was here. When he was sentenced, the prison was full. He was transferred across state to another." "They transferred me back. Bout a month before everything happened. So I could serve out my final weeks nearer to home. Been here a bit longer than anticipated." Axel said.

Glenn pulled Steph aside and told the men to start digging. "Is Axel going to put us at risk? Tell me." Steph thought for a second. "I don't know. I don't think so. He's not the citizen of the year, but he's harmless." "Why is he in here?" Glenn asked. "Axel had a thing for pills. When his wife left him, he got worse. But pharmaceuticals aren't cheap to come by, so he tried to rob one of the liqour stores in town. He didn't even have a gun, he couldn't afford one. He spent everything on drugs after Annie left him. So he used a water pistol. It was a total fail. Axel isn't made for crime."

Glenn left Steph and went over to talk to Hershel. Steph didn't know if she was helping by telling Glenn about Axel. Her dad hadn't been close with Axel, who was his younger brother, so Steph hadn't been either. Axel had come round and asked for money a few times when Steph was younger and her dad had sent him packing. _Cut the bad fruit off the tree_ , Steph remembered him telling her. After Axel had robbed the store, he had hidden at Stephs fathers house. Steph had already moved out at this stage, so she wasn't there. The police found Axel, but didn't believe anyone was stupid enough to try to rob someone with a water pistol, so they searched the house and found Stephs fathers' .38 which "matched the description." Axel went down for armed robbery.

Steph walked past Glenn and Hershel and started clearing the courtyard of the fresh bodies. The group had already done this once. Rick was still inside. She didn't know how he would react to her being back. She dragged the bodies into a pile, not knowing how they usually dealt with them. Beth, Carl and the baby had gone back into the cell block. Glenn went inside to find Rick.

_._._._._._._._._._._

Later, when night had fallen, everyone gathered in the cell block waiting for Maggie and Daryl to return. Steph had told Maggie she wouldn't leave, but she felt out of place. She sat at one of the far tables and pulled apart her shotgun. She cleaned the barrel, cleaned every piece thoroughly. Axel sat down next to her. "Axel, now's not really the time..." She said. "I need to know. My wife, my boy. Are they alive out there?" Steph sighed. "I don't know. Nobody has heard from them since they left." She started piecing her gun back together. The others were watching and listening. "What about Ray?" Stephs father. "Dead." Steph replied. "And Madison?" Stephs mother. Steph nodded. "How do you know?" Axel asked. "I was there, alright? I saw them. After the chaos died down, I went to find them. They never made it out of the city. They were still bumping around in their own house, for godssake. They had turned weeks earlier. They're dead, so are Brian and Stacy." Stephs older brother and sister both lived in the city too. "And so are Annie and Dallas, probably. Everyones dead. Alright? Or undead." She was absolutely stone-faced as she described her dead family.

Everybodies eyes were on Steph, her voice had gotten loud. The baby was crying, but everyone still heard every single word she said. Steph showed no emotion, except irritation at Axels interruption. Axel had a look of anguish on his face. He was clearly upset, He'd just learnt his entire family was gone. He put his head his hands. Steph didn't offer comfort.

Axel looked up at Steph after a few minutes, remembering something."What about that feller you were seeing, what was his name?" Steph didn't answer. She didn't look up from her gun. "You two were together for a long time, weren't you?" Axel pursued. She didn't reply. "Is he still with you?" Axel asked, not noticing Stephs growing anger. "I can't remember what his name was." Steph slammed her gun on the table, hard. A loud metallic bang echoed around the room. She stood up. "His name was Ethan." She said, her face was flared with rage. She pointed at him with her gun. "Don't ever mention him again." And she walked out of the building.


	11. Chapter 11

Steph began to make her way back to the cell block when she saw Maggie and Daryl return, planning to say goodbye, wish them luck and get back to her makeshift home in the woods. Glenn was in the guard tower at the gate, giving cover as the pair came through the gate. Steph was at the far end of the yard with Bandit, so she got to the building a few minutes after Daryl and Maggie. When she entered the block, Daryl was holding the baby in his arms, giving her her first bottle. It was an unusual sight. Steph would never have pegged Daryl as a baby person, but he was smiling away and chatting to her like he'd done it a thousand times. He was so pleased, it made Steph smile. Steph didn't think he had kids of his own. It was a happy scene, but everybody had the sombre thought in the back of their minds - It should be Lori, holding her baby.

Steph approached Maggie and Glenn while Carl and Daryl were discussing names. "I should go." Steph said. "Stay." Maggie replied, and Glenn nodded in agreement. Rick still hadn't reappeared to give his opinion. "You've done so much for us. Rick isn't in the right head space to make decisions right now, so we're making it for him." Maggie continued. "If you want, you can stay with us for good, be a part of our group." Glenn agreed.

Steph glanced around at the group, now very different than the group Steph had first met. They'd lost T-dog, Carol and Lori. They'd gained Axel and Oscar, and a newborn baby. Would she ever be able to over come her distrust? Would they? Steph felt more on edge in the room full of people than if she was up in the hills on her own. She stayed quiet. She looked at Axel, her only remaining family. She looked at Bandit, who was sitting at Daryls feet and staring at the baby with big, wondrous eyes. "Thanks." She finally replied. "Uh, I'll think about it." "At least stay here tonight. It's too dangerous to go back out now." Glenn said. "I'll be out in the guard tower then." Steph replied, and slung her shotgun over her shoulder. "You don't have to do that, theres plenty of spare cells." Maggie told her. "Thanks but... no thanks." Steph said, thinking about all the locked doors and gates, stopping any chance of a quick getaway.

Glenn retrieved Stephs pistol from Ricks cell. "Here." He said. "I know you aren't a threat now. Don't prove me wrong."

_._._._._._._._._._

The next morning, Steph and Bandit were gone once again. Maggie had gone to find her to see if she had come to a decision. "That girl is like a wild cat." Maggie told Glenn on her return. "Never trusts anyone. Always disappearing." She said. Glenn pulled her in for a hug. "Some people are just loners." He told her.

Later on, the group were sharing some breakfast in the cell block, when Rick finally returned. He had cleaned himself up and seemed to be holding it together. He checked on Carl, but showed no interest in his daughter. He left soon after, saying he needed to get back. The group was left feeling quite confused.

Shortly after Rick left, Steph returned. She crept in quietly while everyone was finishing their food. In her hands, two gas containers. "You came back!" Carl said happily, and hopped up to unlock the inner gate. His reaction surprised Steph. "Uh, yeah. I went out. Got some petrol, and diesel too." She said, holding up the containers. "I figured you would be going out on a lot of runs now. Mens prison probaby doesn't have a lot of supplies for a baby."

The group had almost got used to Steph turning up out of the blue and helping. God knows they could use it. Glenn and Maggie were glad they had offered her permanent residence with them. "Thank you." Said Hershel. "You've done so much for us. I hope we can make it up to you."

Daryl got up off the step and took the containers from Steph. He weighed them in his hands. "This'll do." He told her. Steph guessed that meant thanks. Daryl looked at her Steph, squinting at her again, like he had done in the woods the first time they had met.

_._._._._._._._._

Glenn, Maggie and Daryl were going out on a run. Steph offered to accompany them. "You've already been out once today. Why don't you take a break?" Maggie told her. Maggie was growing fond of Steph. "I can't stay in here." Steph replied, but didn't give a reason. "I know this area. I can help." She said. "Okay, it's your call." "C'mon, lets go!" Daryl called over, impatiently. He started his bike. Steph ran back and quickly asked Carl to keep an eye on Bandit. It would be the first time she had gone out without him, but now that she knew he was safe at the prison, she didn't feel like she had to take him.

_._._._._._._._._._

Over the next two days, Steph went out on every run, even twice in one day. The group were trying to stock up on supplies for the baby. They were beginning to like having Steph around. She was helpful, she was smart and strong and nimble. Rick had been unsure at first, He was still reserved about her being there, but since Axel and Oscar had moved in, he let Steph stay. She'd continued living in the guard tower, though. She had been told there was a cell for her many times by Carl, as well as Glenn, Maggie and Hershel, but chose to keep residing in the tower.

Bandit lifted everyones spirits. He was well trained, and Steph had built up a good stash of dog food, meaning he wouldn't be eating into the groups' supply - So the group had no qualms about letting him stay too. Though Steph was useful, she still wasn't exactly friendly. She rarely spoke to anyone, and never more than a few words. She mostly spoke to Maggie and Carl, but even that felt forced.

Daryl and Glenn were going on a run, meaning Steph was coming too, without doubt. She and Glenn went in a car, Daryl on his bike. Steph was still mildy uncomfortable around Glenn, but seeing his love and care for Maggie made him easier to trust. She was dubious about Daryl, but the fact that he seemed as uneasy around her as she did around him, made her feel a little better. They were headed to a small shopping complex Steph had told them was still standing.

Glenn often tried to start a conversation with Steph on the drive but was met with one word answers. He gave up.

_._._._._._._._._._

They made it in inside the store. There were half a dozen walkers staggering around inside, the three of them managed to take them out relativley easy, two each. Glenn headed to the baby department, with instructions from Maggie. Daryl and Steph worked their way through the rest of the store, looking for anything of use. Steph found a can of tomatoes that had rolled under one of the shelves, but mostly the food had been cleared out. She put 3 more cans of dog food in her pack. Daryl snorted. "That dogs gonna end up obese, 'mount of food you got stacked up." Steph looked at him warily. "Yeah, well I intend to have him around for a long time." She replied. She hadn't known Daryl was watching her.

She moved into the next aisle, found a box of muesli bars. They had just expired, Steph put them in her bag anyway. Daryl was in the next aisle, the confectionery aisle. Steph walked around into his aisle and looked at him with confusion. Candy wasn't exactly a priority, last time she checked. Probably why there was somuch of it left on the shelves. "You ever try one of these?" Daryl asked, showing Steph what was in his hand. It was a brand of chocolate, famous for having popping candy embedded in it. Steph nodded. "Sounds about right." Daryl said. "You probably got everything your little heart desired." Steph ignored him. She kept moving along the aisle, looking at magazines. "My brother Merle stole one of these for me, back when we were kids." Steph looked up. Brother? She'd never heard anything about him having a brother. "He was sick of the other kids in the neighbourhood going on about how damn amazing they were, but we never had any money to buy any." Daryl continued. This was the longest sentence Daryl had ever spoken to Steph. "Surprised they're still around." He looked at the chocolate bar a little longer, before tossing it aside.

Glenn came back over, a couple packs of diapers, a set of 3 matching bibs and a full box of formula cans in his arms. "Baby sections pretty much untouched." He said, pleased. "Ain't much else here though." Daryl commented. "We should get going." He told Glenn.

_._._._._._._._._._

That night, after they had returned and Steph shared a meal with them, Glenn thanked Steph for showing them to the complex, saying it was a big help. "Uh, sure." She replied quietly. "I'm gonna turn in. Night." Glenn smiled in return, and Steph left, headed back out of the building to the guard tower, Bandit bounding along by her feet.

Everyone else was headed to bed. Rick was always last, triple checking all the locks and seeing everyone was safely in their cells. Daryl headed up the stairs to his makeshift bed on the perch. He lay down on top of his blankets and put his hands behind his head, where he felt something under his pillow. He pulled the object out from under him, and in the dark room, he made out the bar of chocolate with the popping candy.


	12. Chapter 12

That night, Steph lay in her makeshift bed, in her makeshift home. She couldn't sleep. She was overthinking things, something she had always been good at. She'd made a commitment to these people, she was with them now. But were gifts really necessary? Daryl didn't look like the type of person to induldge in chocolate. _Why did I do that?_ Steph had also brought back a pack of gum for Carl, and a set of hair ties for Beth, who Steph had seen struggling with an old flimsy one for days. Because the store had already been ransacked, Stephs pack had been near empty. She'd figured there was no harm in grabbing a few things that weren't exactly necessary for some of the others. _But is that a weird thing to do?_ Steph asked herself. She'd been on her own for a long time, it was had to remember all the etiquette.

She must have slept eventually though, because she woke up gasping, sweating, and reaching for her gun. The nightmares. They had plagued her sleep every night. But they more than nightmares - they were memories. They were secrets. And Steph knew that if the group in the prison below knew these secrets, they would never have asked her to stay.

_._._._._._._._._

Daryl mentioned nothing about the chocolate to anyone the next day. Steph didn't bring it up either. She'd brought it back for him because it seemed to evoke happy memories from his childhood. And with the world the way it was, any opportunity to create happiness should be taken, especially by someone who is trying to gain peoples trust. She was starting to care about the group, even though it had only been a few days. She found Rick a little unstable, but he was starting to trust her. Even Beth had spoken to her, thanking her quietly for the hair ties, and asking if she'd like to hold the baby. Steph had declined. She still hadn't spoken to Axel since the first day though. _I should probably talk to him._ Steph thought. And then she didn't.

Daryl had kept the chocolate. He didn't open it. He wasn't sure how to feel about it. His first response was to get angry. But there was a small part of his mind that liked being reminded of his brother. Merle had been Daryls best friend and worst enemy growing up. He was his only family left. They'd had to leave him handcuffed to a roof back in Atlanta, but when they went back for him, he'd escaped after cutting off his hand. He could still be alive.

_._._._._._._._

Glenn, Daryl, and Steph were going out on a run again. Maggie was joining them this time. Steph took her own truck. Glenn and Maggie took another, and Daryl went on his bike. First they headed to a clothing store off the main highway. They grabbed a few things for the group, since the weather was heating up and they only had winter clothes, but they were mostly looking for baby clothes. Steph grabbed a bag full of assorted sizes. She had no idea what size the baby was but figured that they would eventually be grown into. "We're going to keep going." Maggie said to Steph and Daryl. "Theres a warehouse further on that we haven't had the chance to look at yet. You guys okay here?" She asked. Steph let Daryl reply, and Glenn and Maggie left.

Steph and Daryl searched the entire store for anything that could be useful. Steph replaced her backpack with a similar one off the rack, since hers was getting a little threadbare. She moved everything into the new pack and tossed her old one on the floor. The pair left the store, planning to head on deeper into the town. But when Steph tried to start her pick-up, she was met with silence. Flat battery. She hit the steering wheel with her palm in annoyance, the truck had been difficult to start the whole time she'd had it. Glenn and Maggie were long gone, and they couldn't exactly jumpstart a truck with a motorbike, it would take time they didn't have. "What's the holdup?" Daryl called, sitting on his bike ready to go. "Uh." Steph replied. "It's dead." "C'mon then. We don't have all day!" Daryl called, starting to get irritated.

Steph looked at him. He was talking about Steph doubling on the bike with him. Steph froze up. She started sweating. "I'll just walk back. You keep going." She said. "Walk back to the prison? That'll take hours" Daryl replied. Steph got out of the truck. "It's fine. I'll walk." Daryl rode slowly up beside her. "Just get on the damn bike." He said. Steph started panicking. She was terrified of the idea, being that physically close to someone. A man. She couldn't do it. "I can't." She told Daryl. "I aint gonna hurt you." Daryl reassured, but with a smirk on his face. Steph opened her mouth but stopped when she heard walkers nearby. A group of about ten rounded the corner.

Daryl quickly saw them too. "Get on!" Daryl yelled, planning to leave them behind to save energy and risk. But Steph ignored him and headed straight for them. She unhooked the crowbar from her belt and used it against the closest walker. She was quickly surrounded but refused to use her shot gun. "God dammit!" Daryl shouted in disbelief and anger. He flicked out the stand of his bike and strode over towards the walkers. He pulled up his crossbow and shot one through the temple. He loaded up another bolt and took another down. Before he could load a third bolt, Steph had killed the rest. She stood panting in the centre of the dead walkers, her crowbar at her side with a piece of dark flesh hanging from it. Daryl retrieved the two arrows he'd used. "The hell's wrong with you?!" He shouted at Steph. Steph said nothing. "What? You got a death wish or somethin'?" He said, before turning back and walking back to his bike.

Steph winced. She didn't mean to make Daryl angry. She hadn't asked for his help. She got her pack from truck and reluctantly got on the back of Daryls bike. She felt excruciatingly uncomfortable. But she didn't want to make Daryl any angrier, he didn't seem to like having her around as it was, and Steph wasn't sure if she'd improved things or made them worse by leaving him a chocolate. She didn't want to argue, so she shut up and forced herself to get over her fear. She sat as far back on the bike as she could, not wanting to touch Daryl. But he started the bike and gruffly said "Hold on." So Steph had to grip the side of his vest. At least he was in front of her, she thought. He couldn't make any move without Steph seeing.

_._._._._._._._._

When they made it back to the prison, Daryl got off the bike and walked away without speaking. Steph knew she'd messed things up, with Daryl at least. She was trying her best to overcome her mistrust but it was clearly still there. The whole journey home, Steph had been anxious, sweating and shaking. The last time someone had been that close to her - while she was conscious - had changed her forever. She headed inside, to check on Bandit. Daryl left straight away with Oscar and Carl. Rick wasn't there. He hardly was, he'd always say he had something to do, and leave on his own.

When Oscar and Carl returned, Daryl wasn't with them. Steph was helping Beth with some food. Hershel was sitting at one of the tables holding the baby. "Steph..." Steph turned to face Axel who was looking sheepish and rather nervous. "I'm sorry 'bout the other day, if I said..." He stopped his sentence short for lack of a word he felt was safe to use. "I didn't mean any harm." He said, looking earnestly at Steph. She felt sorry for him. He'd been polite, and helpful the entire time they'd been at the prison together. _He didn't know..._ Steph reminded herself. She met his eyes, and noticed how similar they were similar to her fathers'. All of a sudden, Rick was there. Everyone watched, astonished, as he picked the baby out of Hershels arms and held her for the first time. They all followed Rick as he left the cell block with the baby to get some air. Steph hung back with Bandit, she didn't feel like she quite belonged in this special moment. But it was a beautiful sight to see.

Rick looked around the yard, pleased. But he saw something in the distance, that made him pass the baby to Carl. He began walking down to the far fence. Steph followed.

When they got to the fence, they met a black woman with dreads, a sword, and a basket full of baby formula.


	13. Chapter 13

Michonne met the group in a very similar fashion to Steph. A hole in her leg, passed out, afraid. Steph felt sorry for her. Rick was rough with her when asking her name, and at first she wouldn't answer. Daryl walked out of the cells. "Rick." He called. He noticed Michonne on the ground. "Who the hell's this?" He asked in surprise. Rick asked for Michonnes name again, but she stayed mute. "Y'all come on in here." Daryl said, breaking the silence. "Everything alright?" Rick asked. He didn't take his eyes off Michonne. "You're gonna want to see this." Daryl said.

They left Michonne locked out of the cells. Steph had deja vu, watching Rick take her weapon. She followed the others in to see what Daryl was talking about. It was Carol. Daryl had found her, alive, hiding in one of the isolation cells deeper in the prison. She looked exhausted, Steph thought. She stayed out of the way while the others were reunited. She didn't know Carol, but she was glad for the others' sake that they'd found her alive.

_._._._._._._._

Later, when Michonne started talking, it was discovered that the basket of formula was dropped by Maggie and Glenn, at the warehouse they'd gone to after leaving Steph and Daryl. They'd been taken to a place called Woodbury, where Michonne had come from.

Rick left Michonne with Hershel, who took care of her bullet wound. Carl watched on, with his gun in his hand. The others stood at the base of the stairs, discussing what Michonne had told them. "How do we know we can trust her?" Oscar asked. "This is Maggie and Glenn! Why are we even debatin'?" Beth piped up. "We ain't." Daryl said. "I'll go after 'em." He added. "This place sounds pretty secure." Rick countered. "You can't go alone." "I'll go." Beth said quickly. "Me too." Steph said, stepping forward. Axel and Oscar both offered themselves up also.

_._._._._._._._._

There was a hustle as the group loaded the cars up with weapons and supplies. In the end, it was decided that Rick, Daryl, Michonne, Oscar and Steph would go. Steph noticed that Rick wanted most of the original group to stay at the prison, taking the newest members, and his most trusted man, Daryl. Maybe he was expecting to lose a few people, and would rather it be Steph or Oscar than Beth or Carl. Whatever, Steph thought. She would have gone no matter what, Maggie and Glenn had both stood up for her ever since she arrived. She wouldn't be a part of this group without them. She liked them both immensly, though she knew she hadn't shown them so. In the car, they discovered that the baby now had a name: Judith.

"You never said where you were from." Rick asked Steph, looking at her in the rear view mirror. Stephs eyes shot up. She was nervous. "Local." She answered. "And you were by yourself this whole time?" He repeated the same question that Maggie had asked her, back on Stephs first night at the prison - after Stephs house had been taken. Steph thought of the house. The place she had holed up in after everything, the place she had previously thought of as home. It was the perfect place to remain hidden. The perfect place for one person to survive - to thrive even. She could have near lived out the rest of her life there, with the flourishing garden, hens, rivers, and cattle all nearby. Yet she had left it without a second thought. Easily. She hadn't fought, or even considered fighting for it. And now she felt... relieved to be rid of it. Because she hadn't been on her own this whole time. She'd shared that house with someone, someone who betrayed her so quickly and so effortlessly and so severely after the world fell apart that it had made her question everything and everyone she had ever known. "Steph?" Rick asked. Steph looked out the window. "Yes." She replied without meeting his eyes. "I've been alone this whole time."

_._._._._._._._

They stopped the car under direction from Michonne. She said they were better off on foot. A walker wearing a long dress started towards them. The others planned to leave it, it was slow enough not to be a threat. But Steph ran over and put it down with her crowbar. _Better to be safe than sorry_ , she thought.

They walked a while through the trees. Steph was at the back, behind Rick and Daryl, who were behind Michonne and Oscar. Daryl suddenly stopped. He crouched down. "Rick!" He called in a whisper. The group all stopped and lowered themselves. Walkers began filing out of the trees, there were many. They were surrounded. They killed a few, Rick with his machete, Oscar with his hatchet, Daryl with his crossbow and Steph with her crowbar, but they quickly realised there was too many too handle. Rick directed them forward, and they gave up trying to kill them all and focused on getting away. Steph hung back a little longer, taking a few more out. Daryl saw her and shook his head. She was making a habit of killing walkers that should be left behind, putting herself at risk.

They found a cabin in the woods, and flung open the door to an opposing stench. Something was dead inside. They soon found a dog, long dead. Walkers banged on the door, and walls. Steph stayed at the front door, in case they broke through. She didn't see Rick discover a man hiding in the bed. He had a double barreled shotgun in his hands. The man was unreasonable, saying he would call the cops if the group didn't leave immediately. Rick told him that he in fact was a cop, and reached to his pocket saying he was getting his badge. As the mans eyes followed Ricks hand to his pocket, Rick flung the mans gun aside with his other hand, which fired and almost hit Daryl. Steph pulled out her pistol while Rick and the man were in a tussle, but was helpless as she couldn't fire without risking shooting Rick. The man broke free. He ran towards the door. "Don't open that door!" Rick shouted in warning, but the man wasn't listening. He made it to the door, but before he could open it, was quickly killed by Michonne, her blade sticking through his shoulder like a grisly skewer. Everyone stood for a minute, unsure as what to do, taken aback by Michonnes ruthlessness. In the end, they were forced to throw the mans fresh body out to be devoured by the walkers. It was a little disturbing, but they needed to distract the walkers to escape out the back door.

_._._._._._._._._._

It was dark by the time they made it to Woodbury. The group of five hid behind a car, a good distance away from the fence, watching. Michonne disappeared. Oscar informed the others. "Dammit." Rick spat quietly, and silently resolved to continue without her. They decided to leave their bigger guns behind, to be stealthier. Suddenly, They heard twigs snapping behind them and turned to find Michonne had returned. She held her finger up to her lips, and waved them over.

Michonne lead them into a building on the edge of the town. "If anyone comes in here we're sitting ducks – we gotta move." Rick said quietly. "They could be in his apartment." Michonne said. "Yeah? What if they aint'?" Daryl said. Steph didn't think that they were being fair to Michonne. She was the one who had lead them here, got them inside. Rick pulled Daryl, Oscar and Steph aside. Steph realised she was now on the inner circle of the group. It felt strange. "If this goes south, we're cutting her loose." Rick told them. "You think she's leading us into a trap?" Oscar asked. "She's done nothing but help us." Steph argued. "Without her, you would have no idea where Glenn and Maggie were." "Right now it's the blind leading the blind." Daryl said. "Lets split up." Steph knew first hand the group had trouble trusting people, as did she. But they couldn't expect Michonne to know all the answers.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. A man entered. "I know you're in here." He said. "I saw you moving from outside." He walked through the room. "Alright now, you're not supposed to be in here and you know it." He said, warily. As he rounded the corner, Rick jumped on him. He shoved his gun in the Woodbury residents face and asked him where they were holding Glenn and Maggie. The man swore that he didn't know, and looked sincere. Because he was no use to them, he was promptly knocked out by Daryl.

As they hid the mans unconscious body, they heard gunshots coming from another building in the street. Rick cautiously opened the door and the five of them moved across the street, to where the sound had come from. They infiltrated the building, without being noticed. Then, they heard a shout. "Let him go!" Steph looked at Rick - it was unmistakebly Maggie. More shouting followed, a males voice. As they snuck through the hallways, Steph prepared her shotgun. Her crowbar worked well on walkers, because they had slow reflexes. And soft skulls. But humans tend to react much faster to guns - rather than the bent piece of steel used primarily to open doors.

Rick and Daryl both threw a smoke bomb into the direction of the enemies. They moved into the smoke and grabbed two figures. Because of the bags on their heads and the blood on their chests, They were presumably Glenn and Maggie.

They made it back across the street with them, and found themselves into an empty room. Glenn was in bad shape. Steph watched Michonne close the door with herself on the outside. _Clearly she_ _has her_ _own agenda_ , Steph figured.

"Ain't no way out back here." Daryl called. "Rick how did you find us?" Maggie said, surprise in her voice. Rick ignored the question. "How bad are you hurt?" He asked Glenn. "I'll be alright." Glenn stammered in reply. "Where's that woman?" Maggie asked, after realising Michonne hadn't followed them in. "She was right behind us." Rick said. "She's gone." Steph answered. "I saw her leave." Now Steph was questioning whether she had been wrong to stick up for Michonne. "Maybe she was spying?" Oscar wondered. "Want me to go after her?" Daryl asked Rick. Rick turned him down. "She's on her own." "Daryl." Glenn spoke up. "This was Merle." Merle? Steph thought. Wasn't that the name of Daryls brother? Steph watched as disbelief flooded through Daryl.

Rick and the others were leaving. Daryl was desperately trying to convince Rick that he needed to find Merle, that Merle wouldn't do anything if Daryl was there. Rick had to convince him to stay with the group, reminding him how hurt Glenn was.


	14. Chapter 14

They fought their way through the street of Woodbury, using smoke bombs to mask their position. They pulled into a doorway to figure out where to go next. Daryl offered to stay behind and cover the rest of them as they escaped. They made a run for the wall, and shot down several guards standing atop the cars. Steph, Daryl and Rick were laying down cover fire for Oscar, as he helped Glenn over a bus that was making up a section of the wall.

Steph was firing into the smoke with her pistol, using mostly her hearing to aim. There was still a thick layer of smoke between the two opposing groups. Steph glanced over to Rick who was a metre or so on her left. He was staring off into the distance, his gun hanging uselessly at his side. _Is he hurt?_ "Rick!" She shouted to him. He didn't take his eyes away from whatever was holding his attention. "Rick, What are you doing?!" Steph called. A man appeared out of the smoke, from where Rick had been staring. The man raised his gun, and fired. Rick was dazed, following the mans line of fire to Oscar. Rick finally regained some wits and killed the man. But it was too late, Oscar was dead. Rick began to walk over to the man, to Stephs disbelief - He was heading straight into the oncoming gunfire.

Maggie was screaming Ricks name, huddled over Oscars dead body. Steph decided it was time to leave. She still couldn't even see who she was shooting at. She sprinted over to the bus and Rick followed suit. When they had made it a good distance away from the wall, they crouched behind a car. There was only four of them - Daryl hadn't made it over the wall. As they waited for him, Michonne reappeared, bloody and bruised. She'd clearly found a tussle with someone while on her own. Rick took her katana from her once again, and questioned her whereabouts. Michonne didn't let much on, but she told him she still wanted to help, whether they were headed back to the prison, or back inside the town to find Daryl. It was quickly decided that they were going back in for Daryl. There wasn't even a debate – nobody had thought about leaving him behind.

_._._._._._._._

They snuck back inside the wall, but the streets were empty. They followed their ears towards the far end of the town, where there was a big commotion. Rick and Steph made their way cautiously into a circle of commercial looking buildings, where they found Daryl. From what Steph could see, He'd been pitted up against someone for a fist fight. As the two men fought, walkers were brought out and held close to the fighting men. Steph wondered who the other man was. His arm ended at his wrist, and had a steel modification over the end where his hand should have been. It was a terrifying scene, but it made for a good distraction as Steph made her way into position. Rick handed her a flashbang. He signaled with his fingers. _Three. Two. One._

Steph hurled the flashbang over the short wall she was behind. She waited till she heard it pop, like Rick had told her. She began firing into the smoke, being careful to avoid the area she knew Daryl would be in. She made her way into the smoke, firing as she went. She bumped into one of the walkers that had been held against Daryl. She shot it upwards through the chin. She fired at a few more people in the crowd, but she soon saw Daryl and the man he had been fighting making a run for the clearing, where Maggie had been laying down cover fire. Steph saw him snatch his crossbow off of another man.

They made it out of the arena, following the mystery man with no hand. Daryl seemed to know him, as did Rick. Rick did not seem pleased to see him. The man broke down a section of the wall and squeezed through. He killed a walker that was outside the wall, crushing it's skull with his improvised prosthesis. There were a few there, probably drawn in by all the gunfire and shouting. Steph killed one but everyone ran off before killing the rest, so Steph followed their lead.

_._._._._._._._

When they made it back to the car, dawn had broken. Glenn and Michonne were there - Rick had told them to wait there while they searched for Daryl, since Glenn was in no shape to help. There was an instantaneous reaction from Glenn and Michonne once they saw who had accompanied them. Merle, the man who had taken them hostage in the first place. Had beaten the absolute snot out of Glenn, tried to kill Michonne, and even hit Daryl in the arena. Steph had learnt a lot about Merle and this "Governer" on their walk back from Woodbury. To be honest, the Governer sounded like a horrible man, but Steph didn't think Merle was any better. _"Nice to see a girl who don't mind getting a little dirty."_ Merle had said in his husky voice, when Daryl had introduced him to Steph. He was referring to her appearance. Steph knew she was undeniably dirty. She had walker blood on her face and neck from the arena, along with plenty of dust and dirt and sweat. But the way Merle had said it had made Steph feel sick and nervous.

As Glenn and Michonne raised their weapons on Merle, Rick and Maggie raised thiers on Michonne. Steph had her pistol out, her finger on the trigger, but didn't really know who to point it at, if anyone. She would defend Rick, Maggie and Glenn if it came to that. But when Merle mentioned a woman named Andrea, Rick dropped his weapon. Michonne knew her too, this Andrea. Apparently they'd been together all winter. "Yeah, my Nubian queen here had two pet walkers. No arms, cut off their jaws. Kept 'em on chains. Kind of ironic now that I think about it." Merle said. "Shut up, bro!" Daryl shouted at Merle, angry at his racist comment. Steph was glad to see that Daryl didn't share his brothers racism. _Pet walkers?_ Steph thought. _Impressive._

"Hey man, we snuck 'em outta the woods, Andrea was close to dying." Merle continued. "Theres no way she's with him." Maggie said, disappointed. But a small nod from Michonne confirmed it. Merle continued, escalating the situation and pissing everybody off. He ended up calling everyone pathetic, asking why there were so many guns pointed at him but yet no bullets in him. "Shut up!" Daryl said again, getting angry at his brothers' behaviour towards Daryl's new family. "Shut up yourself, ya bunch of pussies!" Merle shouted, and Rick knocked him out with a blow from the butt end of his Colt Python. Steph was glad. "Asshole." Rick said quietly.

_._._._._._._._._._._

Daryl was leaving. Leaving the group, the prison, to be with his brother. Merle wasn't welcome at the prison, and Daryl had said "No him, No me." It was a harsh ultimatum, but Rick had to put Glenn and Maggie first, along with everyone back at the prison. Rick would never feel at ease with Merle in the same building as his two children. Rick, Glenn and Maggie tried their best to convince Daryl not to leave. Steph said nothing. She didn't know Daryl well enough to even begin to put up a convincing argument. Daryl and Steph had barely said two words to each other since he'd had to take her back to the prison on the back of his motorbike, after Stephs truck had died.

"What do you want us to tell Carol?" Glenn asked. Daryl paused "She'll understand." He said. _Daryl and Carol..?_ Steph wondered. She quickly decided against the idea, since they shared different cells, and Steph had never even seen them touch. Daryl strode off into the woods, despite shouts from Glenn and Maggie.

 _Yet another member of the group, gone._ Steph thought. _What have I got myself into?_


	15. Chapter 15

It was an awkward drive back to the prison. And silent. Rick was driving, Maggie in the front passenger seat. Glenn, Michonne and Steph sat in the backseat. She was in the middle, since she was the smallest. They had been driving for 20 minutes when they were forced to come to a stop, as they had come upon a vehicle blocking the road; A dirty red ute. There was a walker in the front seat, discovered by Glenn as he opened the door to release the handbrake. He pulled the walker out onto the road, and Steph, Maggie and Rick all raised their weapons, prepared to shoot the walker. But they were left standing by, as Glenn stomped the walkers head in with his foot. He stomped, until the walker had no face left, and when he stopped, he looked at Rick and said "You didn't kill him." Steph knew who Glenn meant. _The Governer._ There was a moment of silence between the two men. "That's not why we went back." Rick said. "No. That's right, you went back for Daryl. And now he's gone again, and The Governer is still alive." Glenn spat. "Daryl was the priority." Rick reasoned.

Steph stood back while Glenn and Rick argued. She kept an eye on a walker in the trees, and another a little further down the road. She decided it wasn't her place to step in, but Maggie did. She tried to stop the men, to get the truck moved out of the way so they could get back to the prison. Steph and Maggie couldn't move the truck on their own. Finally, they stopped. Rick helped the two women push the truck. Once they had created enough room to drive through, they got back into the car. Steph slid in next to Michonne, and received a glare for bumping Michonnes leg. "Sorry." Steph muttered. She held herself close, to avoid hurting the already injured Michonne and Glenn, and they continued the silent journey home.

_._._._._._._._._._

As they drove through the prison gate, Rick was relieved to see Carl and Carol. He got out of the car and Maggie shifted into the drivers' seat. She drove up towards the building, as Rick and Carl hugged. Hershel and Beth waited in the courtyard as they got out of the car. There were hugs and kisses as the group all re-united, but Steph removed herself once again, she didn't do hugs. She grabbed one of the bags out of the boot of the car and left the others standing in the courtyard, intending to head into the cell block. She didn't get far, as Carl ran up beside her and pulled her to a stop. "Wait." He said. "There's something you need to know before you go inside."

On the way back towards the cells, Carl and Beth filled the others' in on what had happened since they had been gone. Another group had arrived. Four people, previously five. Tyreese, Sasha, Allen and Ben, were their names. A woman accomanying them had been bitten, and they had buried her in the yard alongside T-dog, and the empty graves dug for Lori and Carol. "Carl saved them." Beth said. "They're good people." She said, in an almost defiant voice. But Steph knew that Rick would take more convincing. She had struggled to be accepted herself, a lone girl, weak in comparison to other members of the group. Someone who had helped them on previous occasions. But maybe he would see the good in them, and maybe he would realise that they had essentially started a war last night, and the more people they had on their side the better. Maybe he would welcome them with open arms. _Or maybe not._ Steph thought. She was just glad to see everyone alive, and to have Glenn and Maggie back where they belong.

_._._._._._._._._._

Steph was sitting on the stairs in the block, scraping some of the dirt out from under her nails. There wasn't much point, they would be dirty again within an hour. She had always attracted dirt, even before. She could never wear white clothes, they always ended up with grass stains or ink or food or whatever happened to be nearest on them. Hershel hopped past, on his crutches. Steph looked up, and gave him a small smile, feeling awkward. He returned the smile, and continued into Maggies cell.

Steph heard Hershel ask if Maggie needed anything looked at, but Maggie didn't answer. Hershel sat on the bed next to Maggie. He spoke, but Steph could no longer hear his murmuring. No doubt he was giving his signature fatherly reassurance. Steph unintentionally began to think of her own father, but stopped herself. Like she always did.

_._._._._._._._._

Rick had lost it. The whole group had met with the four newcomers, to decide their fate. It seemed that nearly everyone believed they should stay. Hershel had done his best to convince Rick, but Rick had yelled at Tyreese and Sasha to leave. He'd stared off onto the upstairs platform, with the same look Steph had seen him wearing in Woodbury, when Oscar had been killed. Rick was muttering to himself, shouting nonsense. "Get out!" He shouted, but he wasn't looking at the four strangers. When Rick pulled his gun out, Glenn quickly ushered the four out. The group was left stunned, completely taken aback by Ricks unexpected reaction. It was clear there was something else going on with him, something that wasn't related to Tyreese, Sasha, Allen and Ben.

_._._._._._._._._

The next morning, Steph rose before the sun. She lay for a minute, remembering where she was, who she was. She gave Bandit a pat as he slept beside her. It always comforted Steph knowing Bandit was there. She felt safe here, finally. She sat up and went through her routine. Her guns were in perfect condition – they always were, but Steph still checked them anyway. She didn't want it to jam up when she needed it most. She braided her knot-filled hair, and wiped the sleep out of her eyes. She walked out onto the small balcony, to inspect the yard. It was a dewy morning, and the sky was cloudless. The yard was still free of walkers, which was just how Steph liked. It was going to be a hot day, as the days were now, but Steph kept her long sleeved shirt and ripped jeans on.

Steph saw Michonne climb out of the overturned bus in the yard, where she'd slept. No doubt Rick would send her away today, unless something happened. As Steph was thinking this, Rick strode out into the yard. He was going towards the graves. But when he got there, he spun around, looking confused. Steph shook her head. She didn't like Ricks behaviour. She felt uncomfortable around most of the people in the group, but Rick especially. After seeing the way he'd reacted to Tyreese and the others, Steph felt like Rick might snap at any second. She planned to keep an eye on him.

Steph ran over everything that had happened over the past week. She'd been accepted into this group, But she wasn't sure it was the right thing to do, the right place to be. It still felt like more risk than anything. But being around other living people made her feel, well, like a living person. Being alone may have been better for survivals sake, but what was the point in surviving anymore if there was no one to survive with?

Just then, Steph noticed Carl walking down towards her. She hoped he wouldn't see his dad having a mental breakdown outside of the fence. "Steph!" He called up. He motioned with her hand to come with him. Steph climbed down the stairs of the tower and opened the door to face the boy. "Morning." Steph said. "We're having a meeting." Carl said. "C'mon."


	16. Chapter 16

The group, including Steph and Michonne were circled around Glenn, who was drawing a rough map of the prison on the floor. Rick was still AWOL. They were trying to work out where Tyreese and his companions had made it inside the prison, which they previously believed to be secure. They knew the Governer would be planning to attack them, after what had happened at Woodbury, so they wanted to know their weak spots. Hershel believed they should leave the prison, escape before The Governer had a chance to get to them. But Glenn firmly told him that they had nowhere to go, and they would never survive on the road again, what with Hershel missing a leg and a baby who cried almost hourly.

"Carl, you and I will go down to the tombs. We need to figure out where the breach is." Glenn said. "Got it." Carl replied. "You'll need some help." Michonne said quietly, stepping forward. "No." Glenn replied. "In case anything happens, I need you out here." He looked at Steph. "You too." He commanded.

_._._._._._._._._

While Carl and Glenn were out, Steph sat on one of the tables inside, waiting for their return. She stroked Bandit absentmindedly. Her thoughts drifted, and eventually she found herself thinking of Daryl, and his brother Merle. She hoped Daryl was okay. She was disappointed that he'd had to leave, especially as he was such an asset to the group when Rick was going through the grief of losing his wife. Hershel approached Steph. "What do you think, Stephanie?" _Me?_ Steph thought, bewildered. _He's asking my opinion?_ "Uh." Steph began. "Well... Glenn probably knows better than I do." She said, not really wanting to choose sides. "You've been out there, you know what it's like." Hershel said, his usually soothing voice tinged with anguish. "What do you think we should do?" Steph was still taken aback at being involved with this decision making. "Look," Steph said. "I survived out there just fine." _Well, not quite just fine._ She thought, but held it to herself. "But I was alone, and you guys aren't. I've looked around, and there's nowhere that I know of that's as safe as this place. Nowhere." Hershel didn't reply, and walked away looking disappointed. He at down at another table, and began packing a bag. Steph exhaled, hoping she hadn't hurt his feelings.

Immediately after Hershel left, Axel sat down next to Steph. _Popular today._ Steph thought to herself. "Hey." Axel said. Steph nodded in acknoweledgement. "Look, I know we haven't exactly been close." Axel began. "You and I. But with your dad livin' in the city it hasn't always been easy, y'know?" Steph looked at him. He was wringing his hands out, and looked a little nervous. Probably because Steph had previously waved a gun at him for talking to her. "Yeah. We haven't been close." Steph replied, her eyes narrowed slightly as she wondered where he was going with this. "The thing is, now that we're here together..." Axel trailed off. "I'd like to get to know you a little more. God knows we've got time to talk." He chuckled a little at this. He was right, there were many long periods of sitting around, quietly, waiting for people to return, or food to be ready, or Judith to cry, or just because there wasn't actually much to do. "Ray- your dad, he adored you. His 'baby girl', he called you. He was so proud of who you'd become." Axel added. "He was proud of all you kids. I wish I'd been there for you three more, I should've. I should've been a better brother to your dad too. Him and me aint never gotten along, but maybe-" "Axel." Steph interrupted. She was getting a little uncomfortable with all this deep and meaningful talk. "It's okay. I understand." She said. She stuck out her hand, which was the only physical contact she was okay with. "We can start over." Axel grinned at this, his blonde moustache curling upwards. "Good. Good, I'm glad, thank you." He took her hand and shook it.

Axel rose from the metal table, he unhooked his legs from the seat and began to make his way over to Carol, who had been watching them talk. "Axel." Steph said, before he got too far. "Yeah?" He replied hesitantly, as if he was waiting for Steph to get up and yell at him once more. "I'm sorry. What I said about Annie and Dallas... I'm sure they're both fine." Steph said. She felt rather remorseful over her sharp words from the other day. Axel gave another smile. "I'm sure they are too. Annie was one tough bi-" He stopped. "Lady. But wherever they are, they probably don't need nor want me around." He walked over to Carol, who smiled at him and put her hand on his arm. Steph could tell that she had probably put Axel up to it, or at least gave him a nudge in that direction. Steph smiled shyly at Carol. Steph was trying her best to be friendly with everyone, trying to fit into the group. She had decided that she didn't want to be alone anymore.

Glenn and Carl returned, and Beth rushed to open the gate for them. They had bad news; the tombs were completely overrun with walkers. "We're wastin' time" Hershel said, finishing the bag he was packing. "The Governer's supposedly on his way and we're stuck in here with walkers." He said. "Caught between a rock and a hard place." Carol commented. "For the last time, running is not an option!" Glenn said. He was angry, and his bloodied face and black eye made him even more intimidating.

_._._._._._._._._

Glenn left to scout the perimeter on his own. Initially, he'd said he was taking Maggie, but he left her in their cell alone after a short conversation. Steph offered to go with him. "Nah. I'm good." He said. He seemed to have lost his cheery demeanour. Steph hoped it was temporary. She followed Hershel and Carl outside to see him out the gate. It was a hot day, and Steph began to sweat immediately. She looked down at her long shirt and jeans, and wished she could trade them for shorts and a singlet. But she knew she couldn't, without showing the group too much of her past. Steph looked at Hershel, and saw him staring out, beyond the fence. She followed his eyes, and saw Rick wandering around, looking bewildered. Steph hoped that that too was also temporary.

"I'm going to go and talk to him." Hershel told Steph, after seeing that she too had seen Rick. "Okay. Do... you want me to come with you?" Steph asked the old man. She didn't want him falling down, trying to hobble through the rutty yard on crutches. "I think it'd be best if it's just me." He replied, turning on his crutches to look at her. Steph nodded. "Be careful." She sat down on the bank, watching Hershel slowly make his way down to the fence, calling Rick as he went.

She saw Michonne, by the bus she had been sleeping in. Carol and Axel were in the courtyard, laughing together. Steph smiled, it was... nice. She was glad to see this side of Axel, glad that they had the oppourtunity to develop some form of uncle/niece relationship. As she thought this, she heard a gunshot. It had come from afar, and she saw Axel crumple to the ground soon after. Suddenly, there was gunfire coming from all directions. Steph lay on the ground in the long grass. She heard bullets whipping past above her. She grabbed Bandits collar and yanked him down beside her until he too was hidden. _Hershel._ Steph thought. He would be right down in the midst of the gunfire. She had to get to him. She army crawled through the grass, her elbows grating against the hard, dry earth. As she crawled, she pulled out her pistol and released the safety. She could tell by the sound, all of the enemies were using bigger, much stronger and more lethal guns, probably semi-automatic or assault rifles. She would be out-gunned if she came face-to-face, but she was hoping it wouldn't come to that. The gunfire stopped before she was halfway to where Hershel had been standing. She stopped crawling and lay still, praying she wouldn't be seen. The silence was eerie, and Steph didn't know who else had been shot, besides Axel. For all she knew, everybody else in the prison could be dead.

Then she heard it. A roaring engine, screaming towards the prison. _Glenn._ Steph remembered he was out around the other side of the prison. _Thank god._ But as the vehicle neared, Steph knew it wasn't the truck that Glenn had left in. Her heart sank, and dread set in. She poked her head up, slowly, so as not to create a commotion. She saw in the distance, a white and orange van. It headed straight for the prisons main gate, and didn't stop. As it plowed through both of the prisons chain link gates with ease, Steph knew she was probably dead.


	17. Chapter 17

The gates were down. There was a gaping hole where they had once hung. The yard was no longer impregnable. Steph saw walkers filing in, following the crash of the gates, and the van which was now revving in the middle of the yard. It sat there a minute. Steph saw Hershel moving down below her. She saw Carol and Carl backed up against a wall in the courtyard, and Rick on the other side of the fence. She was relieved, but knew that Rick wouldn't be able to do a lot for the other side of the fence, no matter what was coming out of that van. The back of the van fell open, creating a ramp. The surprise inside began stumbling out. Snarling and drooling, and headed directly for Hershel. Steph stood up, ran towards the walkers. She fired at three, but only took one down. She looked back at Hershel and saw he was on his knees, doing the same. Michonne was cruising through, taking the walkers down quickly and easily with her katana.

And then Glenn was back. He sped through the open fence, almost clipping the Governer in his truck on the way. He went for Hershel, and he and Michonne helped the amputee into the passenger seat of the vehicle. Glenn saw Steph. "Get in!" He shouted to her, before running to the drivers side. But they would soon be surrounded by walkers so Steph waved him away, pointing to the courtyard. "Go!" She shouted in return, watching the walkers close in on them. She watched them race away, dirt spitting out behind them, and she turned to face the horde of walkers. She was alone in the yard, and looked up at the others standing at the interior gate, with horrified looks on their faces. Steph quickly re-activated the safety on her pistol and tucked it into her belt. She unhooked her crowbar, she figured it would work well against the walkers as they were drawn out - separated.

She flung her crowbar down into the first walkers' head, resulting in a pulpy mess. She flicked the excess blood off the crowbar and lined up with the next walker. She was constantly walking backwards, while doing so, dragging her feet to feel for holes or bumps. The walker lunged at her, flailing its arms in a futile attempt to grab her. Steph swung her crowbar, but as she did so, the bar rotated in her hand. The crowbar hit the walker in the head, but only with the blunt side. It left the walkers jaw hanging on an ungainly angle, but didn't do much more than that, and the walker kept coming at Steph. She hit it again, this time cracking bone, killing it. She took a few more steps back. The walkers were drawing closer together, which would make it harder to kill with the crowbar, but still she did not resort to her gun. She glanced up and saw Maggie, Carl, and Beth standing at the gate, helpless. Steph thought about making a run for it, but the way to the courtyard was almost blocked with walkers from the van, and there were more coming in through the busted gate. Steph killed another walker, with two blows again. She was getting tired, and her hand was hurting from the force of the crowbar. She shuffled backwards, and she hit the fence with a clang.

Steph panicked then, and withdrew the pistol from her belt. She fired at a female walker that was almost upon her, but the safety was still on, and the walker fell against her before she could fix it. She shoved her forearm against the walkers throat and forced it off her, teeth barely missing her. She finally sorted the safety out, and fired point-blank under the walkers bottom jaw, blowing blood and pieces of flesh all over herself. There was blood in her eyes, and she was temporarily blinded. She felt another walkers hands on her, and she thrashed against it, trying to clear the blood from her eyes. When she opened her eyes, it was painful and blurry, and the walker was right there, inches from her face. She fired again, but as one walker fell, another took it's place. The others were shouting at the gate, but Steph didn't know what they were saying. Bandit was barking. She shot the walker, and the next. In her mind, she counted the shots she had fired. Seven. There were only two left in the magazine, and one in the chamber.

"Steph!" Someone shouted, and Steph recognized it as Ricks voice. He was 20 feet away to her left, holding open a gate that was at the base of the guard tower Steph slept in. She ducked under the oncoming walkers arms, and shoved the next one with her elbow, pushing it aside enough for her to make a break for the gate. As she ran, she turned back and emptied the pistol into the walkers trailing behind. Nearly all the walkers from the van had been killed, mostly by Steph. But the yard was far from empty, as there was nothing stopping the walkers from entering it now, and all the walkers that had been residing outside the fence were now inside it. She made it to the gate, being held open by Rick.

She collapsed on the gravel, puffing. Once she had caught her breath. She realized that Daryl and Merle were there. They'd come back. And they couldn't have come at a better time. The four of them and Bandit stood at the fence. They looked out over the yard, the yard that they had spent so much time and effort keeping secure. All of it, ruined within a matter of minutes. They made their way up to the others who were still in the courtyard.

"Everyone okay?" Rick asked, pulling Carl in beside him. There were solemn nods from everyone. "We should have left when we had the chance." Hershel said. "Yeah." Merle said, in his cocky voice. "You should've. He ain't gon' stop until you all take a bullet." Nobody answered him. "Dad?" Carl asked and looked up at his father. "What are we going to do?" Rick looked down at the ground, sweat dripping from his forehead. "We're going to fight back. We're going to kill him." He looked up at the group, determination clear on his face. "We weren't ready this time. We got lucky, nobody was killed. We'll be ready next time." "Rick." Carol piped up. She was coated in blood, and it wasn't walker blood. "We weren't lucky." She said, and tears formed in her eyes. "Axel was killed." Maggie said, talking to Rick. Then all eyes turned to Steph. "Steph, I'm so sorry." Carol said. "It all happened so fast, We couldn't..." Carols voice trailed off, as her eyes went from Stephs face, to her arm.

"Steph..." Rick said. His eyes also on Stephs arm. Steph followed their gaze, and found her sleeve was soaking with blood. It was dripping down, off of her hand and pooling on the concrete below. She hadn't noticed until now. She turned her forearm around to examine it. "She's been bit!" Daryl said, coming around to get a better look at her arm. Just above Steph elbow, on the back of her arm was a deep wound. It was round in shape. There was a chunk dangling morbidly beneath it. There was no mistaking it, it was a ragged wound that would only have been made by the teeth of a human being with no inhibitions left.

Steph looked around her and saw pity. She knew what they were thinking. Nobody wanted to say it out loud, though. "Can't we cut it off?" Carl said, upset. "Like we did with Hershels leg?" "It's too late." Rick replied, shaking his head. "It's been too long." "Can't we try it?" Carl said, his voice getting louder and higher. Steph was silent. Her arm was only now beginning to hurt. "It's no use, Carl. It's been over twenty minutes by now. There's nothing we can do." The group had seen this happened too many times before. But in most cases, the bitten victim usually pleaded with them not to kill them. Steph was not.

"I'm sorry." Rick said to Steph. The group all looked at each other, They knew what had to be done. Daryl raised his crossbow, in case Steph freaked out and got violent. As he did so, Bandit stepped in front of Steph and growled at Daryl, his hackles raised. "Wait." Steph said. She was calm, and this confused everyone. She sighed. "You don't... I'm not..." She said, but couldn't think of any thing to say. "Steph, you know what happens when you get bitten. Theres only ever one way this can end." Maggie spoke in a cheerless voice. "No." Steph said, but she was still calm. She looked disappointed, but she wasn't agitated. Rick and Daryl looked at each other, and Rick nodded. He bent down to look Carl in the eyes to keep him from looking at Steph. Daryl aimed his crossbow to Stephs face. "Wait!" Steph said, now she was becoming more upset. "You don't have to do this!" She tried to reason with Rick. "You know we do." Glenn said. "No, no. No, you don't. You don't. You're going to think I'm crazy but I'm not." Steph replied. "What are you talking about?" Glenn said. Steph exhaled.

"I... I think I might be immune."


	18. Chapter 18

"Steph, sweetie... nobody is immune to this. Everybody who gets bitten, turns." Maggie said in a calming voice, but grim-faced. Rick was looking at Steph now. She said nothing. Daryl kept his crossbow pointed firmly on her. Slowly, she began pulling up the sleeve of her non-injured arm. She rolled it up to her elbow and turned her palm towards everyone, showing her forearm. Covering almost the entirety of her arm were scars, overlapping, distinctive, round bite marks. They were a faint pink colour, indicating they were months old, completely healed.

Daryl dropped his crossbow into one hand and let it dangle at his side. He grabbed Stephs wrist and turned it, inspecting the scars. He turned to Rick and thrust Stephs arm towards him. "The hell's this?!" He exclaimed. "You ever see anythin' like it?!" and he directed the question at Hershel too. Both of the men shook their heads, their eyes – like everybody elses, transfixed on Stephs arm. Hershel hobbled over. "May I?" He asked, polite as ever. Steph gave a wary nod, and he ran his fingers across the raised ridges of the scars, leaning on one crutch as he did so.

Some of the scars were deeper than others, and thus darker in colour, others were a silvery white colour, where the teeth had only just broken the skin. There were 4 bite marks in total, but alongside the bites were scratches as well, where fingernails had torn Stephs flesh while trying to keep ahold of her. The whole group encircled her, trying to get a good look, trying to understand what this meant.

_._._._._._._._._._

Steph was locked in a cell upstairs from the group."I'm sorry about this." Rick said as he closed the gate. "We've never dealt with anything like this before, we don't know what we're doing. People usually turn within 48 hours. We'll let you out after that." and Steph knew he was thinking; _If you're still alive._ He asked if she wanted Bandit in the cell with her, but she declined. She couldn't be sure she wouldn't turn, and she didn't want to hurt him if she did.

Hershel had cleaned and bandaged up the bite wound quickly, and Stephs other arm was handcuffed to the bench as he did so. He told her he would stitch it up properly "If the time came." meaning also, _if you're still alive._ "How long ago were you bitten?" Steph thought for a while, calculating weeks and months, she hadn't seen a calendar for a long time. "Maybe eight months." She replied, but she wasn't sure. "And you felt no fever? No dizziness or nausea?" Hershel asked, sounding like a normal doctor during a normal examination. "No. nothing."

_._._._._._._._._

Steph sat in her cell. She had her chin her hands. Bandit lay against the door, occasionally whining softly. She was straining her ears to listen to the group below. They were talking about her. Of course. "I mean, it makes sense, right?" Glenn said. "There are people immune to almost every disease. She's probably not the only one." "Thats right." Hershel said. "We could really use someone like that." Carol said. "We ain't going to _use_ her for anything." Daryl said gruffly. "It explains a lot though, doesn't it?" Carl asked suddenly. "Yeah." Rick answered. "No fear of walkers." He said, thinking of the times Steph had run towards walkers when the others were running away. "High pain tolerance." He said, remembering Daryls arrow. The conversation turned to the Governer then, and what was going to happen now. Steph stopped listening.

Hours passed, and Steph remained human. She had several visitors, Carl, Maggie, Rick. She wasn't in a chatty mood so they didn't stick around for very long. _I should never have come here. I should have left after the day the sirens went off, like I planned._ Steph thought. She was anxious. The cell seemed to grow smaller and smaller as the minutes ticked by. _What are they going to do to me? Take my blood and try to make a vaccine? Use me for bait against the walkers?_ _How could I possibly think I could hide this from them forever?_ To make matters worse, Stephs mind began to play tricks on her. She convinced herself she was getting a temperature. She was sure she could feel the poison travelling through her, originating from the gory bite on her arm. She thought she would be dead within the hour. But she sat in her cell and stared at the wall and an hour passed and nothing happened.

Rick came to check on her. Bandit rose as he approached and stared at Rick, vigilant. "How are you feeling?" He asked. "I'm not a walker yet." Steph replied coldly and continued to stare at the wall ahead of her. Rick rested his hand on one of the bars and shook his head slightly. "I see that." He said with an amused disbelief in his voice. He disappeared out of sight for a second, and returned with Stephs pack."We brought your stuff in from the guard tower." He said, unlocking the gate. He placed her pack carefully inside and locked the gate again promptly after. "I want you to stay in here with us from now on. It's not safe out there anymore." He paused. "I'm sorry about what happened to Axel." He said, without meeting Stephs eyes, and then left without waiting for a reply.

Steph went through her pack and nothing was missing. Even Daryls arrow was still in there. She lay the pack under her bed, within arms reach. She untied her hair and raked her fingers though it, trying to get some of the knots out. She braided it roughly, ignoring the throb and ache of her arm.

_._._._._._._._._

"So... you're really immune?" Carl asked, leaning against the bars of Stephs' cell. He had brought her some food, noodles from a packet, but Steph hadn't touched them. She was now sitting back on the bed, leaning against the concrete wall that separated the cells. "Guess so." She toyed with the lace of her boots, considering taking them off. She decided against it. "How did you find out?" asked Carl. Steph glared at him. "I got bit? How else do you think?" She snapped. Carl was taken aback, but then his face settled in sympathy that was much too mature for his age. He was silent for a moment, and then turned to leave. But he stopped, looked back at Steph and said "You should eat." Steph didn't reply. Carl left. Steph untied her hair and braided it again.

_._._._._._._._._._

Night fell, and Steph still had no fever. People came and went, checking on her, asking questions, talking to her, but nothing hit home. Steph wished she was somewhere else. Someone else. She was suddenly the center of attention, which is a place she imagined was about as comfortable as having a needle stuck in her eye.

As it got later, the visits slowed, and then stopped all together as everyone else went to bed. Steph heard Rick checking the gate was locked, and then he too went to bed. She heard Daryl moving about on the perch, not far from her cell. Merle was in the cell opposite Daryl, and Rick had locked the gate on his cell also. Steph didn't think she would sleep at all that night. She felt claustrophobic, and still couldn't be certain she wouldn't die and reanimate sometime during the night. Bandit did not sleep either. Steph rose from the bed and sat beside him, reaching her arm through the bars to pet him. She placed the bowl of now cold noodles in front of him and he ate as she watched. Then she stroked his head and he looked at her with his golden eyes and she felt better.

Steph was dreaming, and they were not sweet dreams. She saw Axel, his yellow moustache curling up once more as he grinned at Steph, but there were tears in his eyes. He reached for Stephs hand but she could not move. She looked down and saw both wrists were handcuffed. She looked back at Axel but he had changed, his body full of bullet holes that slowly seeped blood and his eyes were bloodshot and his grin was no longer friendly. Suddenly he lunged at Steph, and she could do nothing but fall back as her hands were still cuffed. Axel fell on top on her with his mouth gnashing. And then there were walkers everywhere and Steph was desperately trying to shove them off of her and stand back up but someone was holding her down. There was someone above her head holding her down that was no walker. A knife was held to her throat and Steph knew that the dream had changed. It became the dream she knew so well, the dream she dreamt every night. She looked up to see the bearer of the knife but she already knew who it was.

_._._._._._._._

"Hey!" Steph heard but this was outside the dream now. "Hey!" came again and a familiar whine from Bandit which was enough to pull her from her sleep. She sat up abrubtly and reached for her shotgun which of course wasn't there – Rick had kept it. She flung herself off the bed and as she did so, grabbed the knife from under the stiff pillow on her bed. She stood and faced the door of the cell, remembering where she was. Daryl was standing there, and Bandit was next to him looking beside himself, and pacing back and forth. "You were yammering in your sleep" Daryl said. "Thought you might've been..." Steph stood in the center of the cell, puffing, heart racing, sweating. Her knife was in her hand but she lowered it when the recognition set in. "Turning?" She said. "No. Not yet, anyway." She replaced the knife under the pillow. Daryl remained at the gate. He looked at her with the same squint he had in the woods on their first meeting, and again on the patio of the abandoned house at their second. He was struck again by how out of place she looked in the cell. She looked like a wild dog that had been forced into a cage. Her hair fell over one of her eyes and he saw the other one glint in the dim moonlight. She looked so innocent to him, but he knew now what she must have endured before meeting Ricks company, knew she was not as innocent as she looked. He was suddenly overcome with the sense that he should protect her.


	19. Chapter 19

Daryl lingered at the door of Stephs cell, but neither of them spoke. He watched her as she sat back on the bed and pulled her small knees in towards her, pale skin showing through the tears in her jeans. He considered asking her if she was okay. He didn't. He considered asking her about the chocolate that had been hidden under his pillow, but he didn't. He wanted to apologize for the way he'd reacted that day, when Stephs truck had broken down. But he didn't apologize. He felt he should say something, something to comfort the girl in front of him who had potentially saved his life more than once. Who he barely knew but at the same time felt as though he knew her well. They were polar opposites in many ways, but they were so similar too. Steph never portrayed herself as a victim, though Daryl got the feeling that was probably a title she could claim more than most.

Then Steph looked at Daryl in a way that questioned why he was still standing there. He left.

_._._._._._._._._

The next morning as dawn broke Steph was wide awake. She hadn't slept after the nightmare. She stood and paced, she sat and stared. She braided her hair. She still felt no fever. After waiting for felt like it could have been nineteen months in thick, pre-dawn silence, Rick awoke first and came directly up the stairs to Stephs cell. Before he rounded the door, he hesitated out of view and called quietly. "Steph?" Steph rose from the bed to meet him at the bars of the cell. "I'm here." She said, _Where else would I be?_ Rick looked happy to see her. "I still can't believe it." He said, shaking his head. He asked how she was feeling and Steph told him she was fine. "A few more hours to be safe." Rick said. "Then you can join us."

There was a commotion downstairs as the group prepared for the day. The argument about leaving the prison or staying was continued. Hershel was still adamant that leaving was the best option. Merle agreed with him. Well, he agreed they should have left the night before. He said it was too late now, the Governer would have stakeouts on every road out of the prison. This only caused more friction between the group. Steph was relieved to be left out of the discussion. She didn't know what they should do. She couldn't focus on escaping the Governer when all she could think about was escaping the cell she was locked in. "I said we should leave. Now Axels dead." Hershel said. There was a small silence after this, and Steph felt it from upstairs. "We can't just sit here." Another pause, and then: "Get back here!" Shouted Hershel. Steph could only guess this was directed at Rick. It was startling to hear Hershel like this, he was usually the calm, composed one. Steph stood by the bars and watched Hershel hop over to Rick, aided by his crutches. "You're slipping, Rick." He said, in a quieter voice. _Thats for sure._ Steph thought from her cell, but held herself from voicing it aloud. "We've all seen it. We understand why."

_._._._._._._._._

The captivity of being inside the cell was getting to Steph and she began to feel a strong discomfort inside herself. As the minutes ticked over she became more and more distrustful of the people she was currently locked in the building with. As they spoke amongst themselves at a volume too low for even Stephs young ears, she imagined them concocting a plan for her - the only girl in the world that remains unafflicted by a disease known to kill and violently reanimate anyone unlucky enough to get a dose of it in their bloodstream. They could experiment on her, they could sell her to the Governor in exchange for peace, they could chain her to the fence as a distraction and let walkers bite her over and over again. _This_ had been the reason she had made no attempt to connect with another group since being bitten. It changed things. She was going to run the second Rick slid the gate open.

"I'm going to let her out." Rick said, loud enough that Steph heard. "Does anybody object to this?" And Steph strained her ears, waiting for somebody to speak up. Perhaps Carol, or even Daryl. But nobody did. "Yeah. The governer could turn up here at any minute, we need all hands on deck for when that happens." Glenn said. Steph breathed a sigh of relief. She was going to get out of this cell. It had only been one night, not even 24 hours, but she had shown no sign of turning since being bitten yesterday afternoon. Perhaps, under different circumstances, the group would have been more wary. But it didn't sound like they wanted to sell her to the Governor or any of the other decidedly crazy ideas Steph had imagined. But she still intended to keep well away from Rick when he came to unlock the door, just in case he grabbed her and slipped her hands into cuffs, ready to use her immunity in whatever way could benefit the others. "Keep an eye on her. Any sign of weakness, or fever, you tell me." Rick warned the group. There was the sound of keys being rattled, then footsteps coming up the stairs. But it was Carl who arrived at the gate, not with handcuffs but with a smile, and said "Dad told me to let you out." He turned the key in the lock and opened the creaky gate. "You better not turn into a walker." He said, and motioned for her to come down the stairs with him. Steph greeted Bandit with a pat and he greeted her with a kiss. "I can only do my best." She told Carl. She met the group downstairs as they were in discussion. She received smiles from almost everybody, and a hug from Maggie. "I'm glad you're okay." She said. Steph didn't run away.

"We'll need to talk more about your... immunity." Rick said seriously. "But right now, we've got bigger problems. And we need your help."

_._._._._._._._._

Later Hershel insisted on doing a proper stitch on Stephs arm, despite her insistence that she was fine. Carl and Maggie were out keeping watch, and Rick and Glenn were strategizing. The others were milling about not knowing what to do with themselves, not being able to go outside, and the feeling of impending carnage hung thick over everyone. Hershel apologized for the lack of pain killers. Steph could have laughed at that. But she didn't want to seem rude. She said nothing.

"Why don't you tell me a bit more about yourself? Distract yourself from the pain." Hershel said kindly, while preparing the meager suture kit retrieved from the prisons infirmary. "Uh, theres not much to tell." Steph replied awkwardly. "What did you do before?" He persisted. "I worked on a ranch. Not far from here. Horses, cattle. That sort of thing." Steph winced automatically as the needle first pierced her skin, but it wasn't too bad. "A girl after my own heart." Hershel said with a smile. "I wonder how many of my horses are still out there now. Probably wild as anything." He laughed, but was careful not to jolt Stephs arm with the needle in it. "A family farm?" He asked her, without looking up. "No. I just worked there after I finished college. All my family lived in the city." She replied. "I do remember you said your parents lived in Atlanta." Hershel said. There was silence as he finished. He put aside the needle and thread.

"And what about after? You stayed at the ranch?" He asked. "Yep." She replied shortly. This conversation was beginning to make her feel uneasy. "Is that where you were bitten?" Hershel asked. "No." Steph replied, and stood from the bed quickly. He began to speak again. "What happened when you-" "Thanks for the stitches." Steph interrupted, and she turned and left the cell. She literally bumped into Carl as he came rushing in from outside. "Have you seen my dad?" He asked, breathless. "He's upstairs." She informed, a little surpised. "What's wrong?" Hershel asked from inside the cell. He stood and assembled his crutches beneath him. Carl looked at him. "Andreas here." And disappeared up the stairs to find Rick.


	20. Chapter 20

Andrea was led through the corridors among the suspicious company of Rick, Carl, Daryl, Maggie, Glenn, Michonne, Merle and Steph, who noticed she was also being kept a close eye on. _Surely they don't think I might still turn?_ She wondered, and then quickly remembered that there was no way for her to know either. She had seen no doctor, been to no hospital, had no tests taken, and had no proof other than the scars she wore hidden under her clothes.

Andrea stood in the middle of the room bewildered by the living conditions of the group. She asked for people who had died long ago, and some who had been gone only weeks. She started sentences she could not finish. When she locked eyes with Steph, Rick introduced her, and explained how she had joined them. Steph could feel the anger coming off of Andrea, that Steph had been accepted by the group while Andrea was treated like an enemy.

Steph leaned against the wall behind Daryl. "You all live here?" Andrea asked. "Here in the cell block." Glenn answered. "Well can I go in?" Andrea asked, and started towards the door. Rick stood in her way. "I wont allow that." He asserted. "I'm not an enemy, Rick." Andrea insisted. Steph, who had never seen this woman before in her life, didn't like her in the building at all. Bandit sat at Steph's feet, hackles risen. They often shared the same impression of people.

Rick told Andrea about how the Governer (Phillip, Andrea called him.) Tore down the fence and let walkers through, how he shot at everybody who was inside. Andrea said that The Governer had told her that Rick was the instigator, that he had fired first. "He's lying." Rick said. Hershel affirmed this. "He killed an inmate that survived in here." "We liked him. He was one of us." Daryl added. Steph looked at Daryl. She hadn't realized that Daryl liked Axel at all. He was hard to read. She looked back at the floor when the details of her uncles demise began to trickle back into her mind.

"I cannot excuse or explain what Phillip has done." Andrea said. "But I'm here trying to bring us together. We have to work this out." "There's nothing to work out." Rick spat back at her. "We're gonna kill him. I don't know how, or when. But we will." Andrea shook her head. "We can settle this. There's room at Woodbury... for all of you." Merle snorted at this. "You know better than that." He said.

The group and Andrea continued to argue. Steph stayed silent throughout. Eventually Rick walked away, ending the discussion abruptly. Andrea stayed a while longer, looking through the cells, talking with Carol, meeting baby Judith, but she had eyes on her the whole time. Rick pulled Steph aside and brought her out into the corridor in which Maggie, Glenn and Daryl were waiting, while Andrea was upstairs with Carol and the baby. "We're not going to say anything about Steph. Not a word. If Andrea tells The Governer that she's immune, he'll want Steph. Got it?" Glenn and Maggie nodded in agreement immediately, knowing first-hand what being captive to The Governer meant. "I'll tell the others." Daryl said roughly.

Steph was glad enough when Rick decided it was time for Andrea to leave. He even gave her one of their working vehicles for her to get back to Woodbury. There was an awkward farewell, Rick returned Andreas knife and gun, and then Andrea drove away, disappointed that she hadn't been able to change anyones mind about the Governer.

_._._._._._._._

Later that night, after a small and un-exciting meal, the group made their way to the cell block. Talk was meager, everyones heads full of the eventful day. Steph sat at the top of the stairs, Maggie joined her a few steps down. Michonne sat solemnly in the doorway of her cell. Hershel and Daryl leant against the wall. Beth was sitting on the floor, candles in front of her. Bandit lounged on the cold floor in front of Carol, lucky enough to get a belly rub. Beth sang then, quiet and soft, angelic. Steph saw Hershel smile. Rick walked down the stairs with baby Judith, who was far along the road to slumber.

Once Rick had passed, Maggie moved up and sat beside Steph. "You okay?" She asked Steph, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Yeah." Steph said, and forced herself to smile. She had lived through another day, the certainty of her immunity was strengthened. "I don't know this Andrea... Is she okay? How do you know she wont turn against us? She would have learnt a lot about the prison today, seen how weak we are. If she tells The Governer-" Steph said, voicing her concerns for the first time. "Andrea's fine." Maggie replied. "She wouldn't do anything to hurt us." She sounded confident. Steph didn't share this confidence.

Maggie stood then, and met Glenn near the base of the stairs. They sat together on the stairs below her, and Steph saw him whispering in her ear. Steph couldn't help but smile. Automatically, she cut the smile short. She was beginning to care about them a lot, the whole group in fact. It worried her. She rested her chin against her knees. Being part of this group for only a few weeks, and she had more trouble than being on her own for months. But yet she felt she couldn't leave. Sitting in the dingy prison, listening to Beth sing, she felt happy. And that scared her. She looked around and met eyes with Daryl. He was looking straight at her, with a bitter look on his face. He looked away quickly and left Steph wondering how she had annoyed him now.

Rick, Daryl and Hershel had a hushed conversation, and when Daryl glanced at Merle, it reavealed to the topic of the conversation. The three of them looked thoughtful, and Steph wondered about the details of the conversation. It was then Steph realized that Carl hadn't come back inside and joined them after dinner.


	21. Chapter 21

Steph sat in her cell that night, which was not the one she had been locked in but the furtherest one along on the top level, on the opposite end to most of the others downstairs and a fair distance from Daryl on the perch in the middle of the block and Merle in the cell parallel to him. She was exhausted. She shook her hair out and took her boots off before lying back on the crinkly mattress with Bandit beside her on the floor.

Staring at the ceiling, she poked her fingers up her sleeve and fingered the stitches over the bite wound. Running her fingers down her arm, Steph felt the teeth and nail wounds long healed, like giant Braille letters. She trailed her fingers up her arm, over her collarbone and up to her throat. Her pulse ran steady and her skin was soft and smooth under her fingers. She supposed it used to feel nice when other people touched her this way, too. But she couldn't remember the last time someone had put their hands on her body in a way that could be considered pleasurable, so she touched herself.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

In the morning, Ricks voice was the first thing Steph heard when she woke up. This was followed by Daryl's. She only caught the last part of their short conversation in her first few waking moments, which were "We should be back in about 4 hours. Remember what I said about your brother. Tell everybody else what I said once everyone's up, too."

Hearing that Rick was headed out of the prison, Steph automatically sat up and put on her shoes. She caught Rick as he was about to descend the stairs. "You're going out." She said. Rick turned to her before nodding his head. "Yep." He replied "You can't come this time." Steph frowned. "You know I can." She always wanted any time outside the prison when possible. "Not this time." Rick said. "I'm taking Michonne and Carl. This isn't a normal run. And I need you here. Help Daryl look after the place and Glen until we're back." He paused and looked past Steph. "And watch Merle for me." Then strode away.

As Rick exited Stephs view she was facing directly towards the man himself, Merle, after just being let out of his cell by his brother, they were both standing silently and looking at Steph with scowls on their faces. She almost shied away, looked down and scarpered back to her cell – instead she glared straight back. It was Daryl who looked away first, blinking rapidly. Merle stared on, but his frown slowly turned upwards into a smug smile. Without looking away, Steph walked along the balcony towards them and then turned and followed Rick down the stairs feeling Merles eyes burning holes into her back.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

With Rick, Carl and Michonne gone, the days routine was a little thrown off. They usually ate breakfast together in the dining hall but today Glen was feeling less than sociable and so ate in his cell, Merle and Daryl ate on the steps of the cell block and Steph bypassed everybody at the tables and exited through a door that led further into the prison. She and Bandit followed a dark corridor before coming across the two sets of double doors with armoured glass that would have once been a checkpoint for a prison guard. She pushed them open with one hand while holding her plate of food with the other. Bandit slipped through before the doors sealed shut.

The doors led out onto a walkway between two buildings. Raised about 10ft in the air, it had a view of the entire front side of the prison. The pair walked into the very middle thereupon dropping to their backsides on the concrete.

Steph looked into her bowl. In it was oatmeal, off white and pasty and eaten for breakfast 7 days a week in the prison. She ate the food but it didn't seem like food to her mouth. Bandit licked the bowl thoroughly, because he would eat anything that was set in front of him, but it seemed to be more out of duty rather than delicacy this time. Steph put her arm around him. "Prison food." She said to him, and scratched his head. "That's what you deserve too, you dicey Bandit." His tail was whipping against the chain link fence at the fond sound of the voice of his master. "They say the most commonly asked for last meals for death row inmates are steak, hamburgers, and fries. What do ya reckon?" She said "Steak?" His tail clattered against the fence and he thrust himself at Stephs face, trying to lick her. Laughing, she side-swiped him and then grabbed him and pulled the wriggly dog into her lap. "Yeah." She looked at the empty plate. "Steak." She said teasingly. She longed for a piece of real meat. Even wild rabbit on a stick would beat oatmeal and powdered mashed potatoes that had been sitting for months in the prisons pantry. Steph thought about leaving the prison on her own to go and find some fresh food, though she knew Rick would be unhappy with her if she did.

She wasn't needed here, not really. She could go and be back before he was, get a few rabbits or anything better that came along. He would appreciate the food when it was in front of him.

She had a thought then, a thought that happened to be about steak. It wasn't just another inane longing thought either. She remembered there had been steak in the freezer back at her house. There had been lots of various cuts of meat actually. There was ammunition at the house too, likely still locked in Stephs gun safe unless the intruders had figured a way in without the key.

If either of those two resources were still intact, it would be a trip worth making. It wasn't far. Not to mention the other food, lots of clothes that Steph had missed, and a cache of medicine, hidden underneath the house in a rodent proof box. Any and every painkiller, anti-biotic, anti-inflammatory, every pack of aspirin, Steph grabbed it and collected it there right since the beginning. The intruders would likely still be there. Taking all the frozen food if they didn't have a freezer themselves would have resulted in lots of rotten food. There might be more of them. Or there might be less, maybe a few guys staying there and taking food back to wherever they were from as they needed it. She could take a few if she had the element of surprise.

She remembered herself then and looked around, again finding herself surrounded by the fences, both in front of her, behind her and above her on the outside catwalk where she sat. "I don't want to be here any more." She told Bandit and rose to her feet, plans beginning to form in her head.


End file.
